GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The December 29th opening of the unhoused Resource Center, located at 261 Ute Avenue, a project between the city of Grand Junction, Homeward Bound and United Way, along with some other partners has been postponed for the second time. The center was first set to open December 21st. That opening date was pushed back to December 29th but once again, GJ and its partners pushed the date back, this time indefinitely.
Western Slope Now reporters talked to organizers and visited the site Wednesday, December 27th and found the center still under construction, with critical infrastructure like sewage, electrical and water lines still in the midst of the installation process. The Resource Center's doors remain closed while hundreds of the area's unhoused face subfreezing temperatures and have no central site to access services. Grand Junction does not have enough overnight shelter services to house everyone who needs it. Because the city recently fenced off Whitman Park, a site where the unhoused accessed resources for decades, the unhoused have since moved to other parks, pitching clusters of tents at both Emerson and Hawthorne parks. Access to basics like water are also a struggle.
Once the center finally does open, it's expected to provide a warm and safe environment for the unhoused, but only during the day. The center will also provide resources from various organizations to try and help the unhoused get on the right track to access more permanent housing, food and resources.