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The coronavirus pandemic has compounded the problems of homelessness, but Cortez was more prepared for the layer of crisis thanks to the newly built Bridge Emergency Shelter.

On the ground floor, the modern shelter provides overnight winter housing and a hot meal for the homeless community from October to April.

On the second floor, transitional apartments are available for $200 per month for homeless ready to embrace sobriety, steady employment and housing stability.

Like everywhere, the abrupt impacts of the pandemic hit The Bridge in unprecedented ways and piled on more risks for an already vulnerable population.

Adjustments, and risk assessments were swiftly enacted to keep staff and clients safe, said executive director Laurie Knutson and shelter manger Theresa Wilson during a recent tour.

And as of late November, the shelter had not had a positive case.

However, the pandemic caused the Day Labor Job Center to be closed down, and the homeless shelter capacity went from 50 to 20 to comply with state health restrictions.

The ground floor was divided into low- and high-risk areas, mask wearing and social distancing was mandated, and groups were avoided. The dining area was limited to 12 people at a time, down from 30. High-risk clients were separated from others.

Some people have been denied access to the shelter because of new rules that require clients to spend consecutive nights.

“It has been stressful. We are not used to turning anyone away, but it was needed to keep everyone safe,” said Wilson. “We could not risk someone traveling out of the area and bringing it back here. We’re closely monitoring neighboring states and all the COVID news and restrictions.”

A person could return to the shelter if they quarantined for 12 days and received a negative test.

During the earlier shutdown phase of the pandemic, the downstairs shelter went into a lockdown, and clients could not leave and return. The lockdown has since been lifted, but access is more limited than before the pandemic.

The Bridge gets calls every day about services and availability, including from cities as far away as Dallas.

“A lot of shelters are closed in other areas,” Knutson said.

The Bridge has isolation areas for clients brought in by local law enforcement who need overnight shelter. It is one of the few that accepts people under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and they are separated from the sober population.

“The community does not have a detox center, so the shelter becomes a catchall,” Knutson said. “There will always be a group of people who need the ground floor. We save lives every year” by preventing hypothermia deaths when homeless sleep outdoors in winter.

Rapid testing for clients at the shelter is being sought to help prevent infections in the vulnerable population, officials said.

Pandemic impacts local jobsThe day labor center was closed because of the infection risk, Knutson said. Most of the work was for day labor, which involved clients visiting homes and mixing with people.

There are no plans to reopen it. The shelter works with the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center to get people into jobs.

The Bridge’s winter population on the ground floor falls into two main categories, Wilson said.

The chronic homeless often have mental health and addiction issues, and are not ready for employment.

The other group includes people who have lost jobs and homes or were released from jail. They focus on improving their lives.

“They come unemployed, and we watch them become employed,” Wilson said. “They are working through a lot of stuff to get their lives together.”

Many get jobs in fast-food restaurants, but layoffs and shutdowns have left them unemployed again, she said.

The shelter serves Native Americans who have relocated from reservations where jobs are more scarce, Wilson said.

A major obstacle for the homeless and low-income community is transportation to and from work, she said. Clients can’t afford a vehicle and rely on bicycles. Regularly scheduled bus service is lacking.

If someone does have a vehicle, they might give others a ride. “This population sticks together and help each other. They share their resources,” Wilson said.

Currently, 17 people reside in 11 transitional housing apartments, and there is room for more, Knutson said.

If a client performs well in the shelter – doing chores, getting along with others and staying sober – plus has secured steady employment or income, they can apply to move into an upstairs apartment, which may be shared by roommates, Knutson said.

“If people choose not to stay sober, they are moved out,” she said. “We are not at capacity upstairs.”

Off the streetsFor formerly homeless Randy Skinner, 61, getting into one of the transitional apartments was life changing. He also landed a part-time maintenance job at The Bridge.

“This is wonderful. I had been living on the streets in Denver and Durango for four years,” he said. “First on my mind was always finding affordable housing, but it was very difficult, out of my reach. I really dig it here, it really did save my life.”

He said the transitional housing rules are strict – no drinking, fighting or drugs. One resident was recently kicked out because of drinking and fighting.

“We felt bad for her; you have to follow the rules,” Skinner said.

Skinner’s sore back and shoulders has him transitioning out of the construction trades. He is reading and writing a lot. With stable housing, he can work on plans to become a preacher and motivational speaker.

“It is really something that they offer here. There’s a lot of talk around town about it,” he said.

A critical referenceThe apartment housing upstairs is transitional, but it’s critical for people to get back on their feet, especially as a reference, Knutson said.

If you have not had housing for six months, providing that information for a rental can be extra tough. But having lived in transitional housing creates the critical reference.

“We get calls from landlords, and all they ask is if they paid on time, and if they were clean, and we can say yes.’ They may not have had that positive past history before,” Knutson said. “That is how people move forward.”

Support for people struggling is the goal of the shelter’s 13 staff and seven volunteers.

“People ask us why we serve those with criminal records, sex offenders, or people who just got released from jail. It is because they need a restart. We help people from reoffending, work on areas of their life and get them back to making good decisions for themselves,” Wilson said.

Moving forward, The Bridge would like to create a cottage job opportunity on site, Knutson said. The program would employ shelter residents.

“We’re not there yet, but I see a natural progression of a cottage industry that would provide job skills, always moving in the direction of giving people the opportunity to stabilize.”

jmimiaga@the-journal.com