The Bridge Emergency Shelter had to adjust operations because of the coronavirus outbreak, and was forced to close down the Day Labor Center.
To keep staff and residents safe, The Bridge initiated a shelter-in-place policy for a month, said director Laurie Knutson.
More than 30 homeless clients were instructed to stay day and night, and meals were provided. During normal operations, the clients have to leave early in the morning.
“We could not risk bringing the disease here,” Knutson said. “But not everyone could handle the shelter-in-place restrictions, so a lot of them left knowing we could not let them back in. That was unfortunate.”
Disease monitoring, social distancing, increased sanitation and mask protocols were implemented for staff and residents.
The shelter in place began in late March and ended in April, and coincided with Colorado’s now expired stay-at-home order.
Ten clients ended up staying at the shelter 24 hours a day for more than 30 days. Knutson said the facility has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory virus caused by the coronavirus.
The Bridge recently built its new facility at 735 N. Park St. next door to the courthouse.
The nightly shelter operates from October to April and is closed for the season. The center also includes 11 low-income apartments upstairs to provide transitional housing for homeless people trying to get back on their feet.
Out of the 30 who initially stayed as part of the shelter in place, only 12 remain. They successfully applied to be placed in the apartments and moved in Friday, Knutson said. They are free to come and go as they please.
“It is a good group who have been working together for a while. They have the cooperation skills to live with neighbors and a roommate, have an income, and are working toward employment and education,” Knutson said. “Move-in day is a special time, and everyone is excited.”
They come from a variety of backgrounds, but have one thing in common — without this opportunity, they would likely be living on the streets or in a hotel.
“I’d be living in my truck if not here,” said Johnny Lopez. “I’m looking for a job in construction or in a restaurant, but it will be tough nowadays.”
Carlita Topaha moved into her new apartment and is most excited about grocery shopping then going home to cook meals.
“It’s nice to have your own space,” she said.
The apartments are rented for $383 per month, including utilities. There is a common area, and a washer and drier.
“We’re really thankful, the staff here are super-supportive,” said Ernest Ledesma, who moved in with his common-law wife, Heather.
“We used to live in a hotel, this is so much better,” she says. “Especially having the washer and drier.”
He’s working part time at Taco Bell, and another resident has a part time job at McDonald’s. They said looking for affordable housing in Cortez was challenging, and rent payments of $600, or more, plus utilities, were out of reach.
The apartments are considered transitional for up to two years. They allow residents to get job training and full-time work, become independent and be in a position to obtain more permanent housing. In some cases, people released from jail are granted an apartment to help with their transition back into society.
The shelter also runs the Day Labor Center, but because of the coronavirus risks, it is temporarily closed, Kuntson said. Sending people out to homes for work could cause exposure to the virus.
The health emergency had an impact on the local homeless population, Knutson said.
With the shelter on lockdown and Cortez Recreation Center closed, they could not get a shower, so hygiene became a problem. Many of the usual clients ended up camping around Cortez.
“The first crisis is stopping the disease, then the fallout is the economy suffering. Society will see more people becoming homeless in the coming months,” Knutson said. “People lost their jobs and income, more foreclosures and evictions are a concern.”
jmimiaga@the-journal.com