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HAP Force to shelter all populations during severe-weather season; registers 81 for the season
Summary
HAP Force reported it will shelter all populations this severe-weather season, has registered 81 people in the last week and expanded hotel capacity and an overflow site to meet need, but faces challenges placing people with cats.
Julie Hall, a HAP Force representative, told the Tri Cities Homelessness Steering Committee that the organization will shelter all populations during the upcoming severe-weather season and has already registered 81 people for shelter in the past week.
Hall said the group will shelter single adults, families and people who are chronically unhoused. “In the last week [we] registered 81 individuals for shelter this season,” she said, adding that roughly 80% of those registrants appear to be chronically unhoused while a smaller share are newly unhoused.
The shelter system’s hotel capacity is 40 rooms; some rooms can hold more than one person. Hall said HAP Force added two hotels this season — WoodSpring at Prince and Santa Fe and an extended-stay property in Centennial — bringing the total to six hotels distributed across Broadway, Lakewood and Aurora, plus the two new sites. Movement 5280 will serve as overflow congregate shelter this season and can take up to 45 people.
Why it matters: expanding to shelter all populations reflects a shift from prior practice of limiting shelter to the most vulnerable; organizers said the change responds to observed need, including people newly experiencing homelessness because of job loss or relational breakdowns.
Details and capacity constraints
Hall said some newly unhoused people contacted staff because promised housing arrangements fell through. She and other committee members discussed hotel room policies and the practical difficulties of placing larger families in single rooms, adding that a WoodSpring representative has agreed to be flexible when possible.
Hall also said HAP Force shelters pets but is currently unable to find hotel partners that will accept cats; she said Movement 5280 can offer crates and some temporary support for animals when needed.
Coordination and outreach
Committee members discussed outreach to families and school partners. Hall said she is working with Clarice from Englewood Public Schools to identify families who may need shelter and that she plans to meet with Jessica (the Tri Cities coordinator) next week to coordinate outreach to families and improve identification of last‑minute needs.
Fundraising and volunteer support
Hall noted an upcoming fundraising event on Oct. 9 and said she would post event information in the meeting chat for members to share. The committee encouraged members to help spread the word.
Discussion and next steps
Committee members asked about registration numbers and family outreach; Hall said staff will continue registration efforts and coordination with school liaisons and county programs. No formal actions or votes were taken.
Ending
HAP Force representatives asked the committee to share contacts and outreach opportunities. Hall said she will post shelter and fundraising links in the chat for members to distribute.
