The managed homeless campsites that opened in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood last year closed Monday, moving to two new locations at Regis University and in the Park Hill neighborhood.

The campsites, known as Safe Outdoor Spaces, opened in December 2020 to address Denver’s rising homeless population and increasing public health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic hit, more than 4,000 homeless residents lived in the city.

The first two campsites were designated within the parking lots of Denver Community Church on Pearl Street and First Baptist Church on Grant Street and featured heated tents, food donations, dental care, food stamps, COVID-19 testing, community service opportunities and services for permanent housing.

Residents of those campsites moved to the new site at a parking lot on the Regis University campus near West 50th Avenue and Federal Boulevard Tuesday, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative, which runs the campsites.

That site is now fully operational and accommodates up to 60 residents.

The Park Hill campsite started setting up Friday and is expected to open for use on June 14 for up to 40 residents.

The campsites met neighborhood protests. A lawsuit seeking to prevent the establishment of the campsite in the Park Hill neighborhood was recently dismissed by a judge in Denver District Court citing lack of jurisdiction.

The lawsuit and other opponents claimed the campsites are unsafe, but officials have denied the claims.

Cole Chandler, executive director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, has said the encampments reduce the spread of COVID-19, reduce the neighborhood impact of unsanctioned camps and provide residents with a gateway to more permanent housing.

According to Chandler, all of the residents of the first two campsites had been sleeping outdoors before moving in and most came from nearby illegal unmanaged campsites.

The campsites are fenced and staffed around the clock, according to Colorado Village Collaborative. They do not allow drugs or alcohol use and provide residents with portable toilets, trash services, and regular showers and laundry services.

Residents are screened to keep out all sex offenders and those convicted of violent crimes within the last five years, Chandler said.

Many residents are also using the campsites to transition into more stable housing, data show. As of May 13, the Colorado Village Collaborative reported five people had moved into tiny homes, two into permeant homes, five were on housing vouchers that can be spent on rented housing and 12 had gotten jobs or were looking for jobs.

The campsites have also provided 180 case management appointments to help residents address past legal issues that prevent them from obtaining housing and employment, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative.

The Regis University and Park Hill campsites are planned to operate until Dec. 31.

In February, the Denver City Council approved a nearly $900,000 contract with the Colorado Village Collaborative to manage the sites and provide amenities to residents until Dec. 31. At the end of the year, the council is to reevaluate the need for the campsites and vote whether or not to extend the contract.

If the contract is extended, the Regis University and Park Hill campsites would still move to new locations as the previous Capitol Hill campsites did, according to Colorado Village Collaborative. The future sites have not yet been identified.

More information about the campsites and how to get involved is available at coloradovillagecollaborative.org/safe-outdoor-space.

The managed homeless campsites that opened in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood last year closed Monday, moving to two new locations at Regis University and in the Park Hill neighborhood.

The campsites, known as Safe Outdoor Spaces, opened in December 2020 to address Denver’s rising homeless population and increasing public health risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic hit, more than 4,000 homeless residents lived in the city.

The first two campsites were designated within the parking lots of Denver Community Church on Pearl Street and First Baptist Church on Grant Street and featured heated tents, food donations, dental care, food stamps, COVID-19 testing, community service opportunities and services for permanent housing.

Residents of those campsites moved to the new site at a parking lot on the Regis University campus near West 50th Avenue and Federal Boulevard Tuesday, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative, which runs the campsites.

That site is now fully operational and accommodates up to 60 residents.

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The Park Hill campsite started setting up Friday and is expected to open for use on June 14 for up to 40 residents.

The campsites met neighborhood protests. A lawsuit seeking to prevent the establishment of the campsite in the Park Hill neighborhood was recently dismissed by a judge in Denver District Court citing lack of jurisdiction.

The lawsuit and other opponents claimed the campsites are unsafe, but officials have denied the claims.

Cole Chandler, executive director of the Colorado Village Collaborative, has said the encampments reduce the spread of COVID-19, reduce the neighborhood impact of unsanctioned camps and provide residents with a gateway to more permanent housing.

According to Chandler, all of the residents of the first two campsites had been sleeping outdoors before moving in and most came from nearby illegal unmanaged campsites.

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The campsites are fenced and staffed around the clock, according to Colorado Village Collaborative. They do not allow drugs or alcohol use and provide residents with portable toilets, trash services, and regular showers and laundry services.

Residents are screened to keep out all sex offenders and those convicted of violent crimes within the last five years, Chandler said.

Many residents are also using the campsites to transition into more stable housing, data show. As of May 13, the Colorado Village Collaborative reported five people had moved into tiny homes, two into permeant homes, five were on housing vouchers that can be spent on rented housing and 12 had gotten jobs or were looking for jobs.

The campsites have also provided 180 case management appointments to help residents address past legal issues that prevent them from obtaining housing and employment, according to the Colorado Village Collaborative.

The Regis University and Park Hill campsites are planned to operate until Dec. 31.

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In February, the Denver City Council approved a nearly $900,000 contract with the Colorado Village Collaborative to manage the sites and provide amenities to residents until Dec. 31. At the end of the year, the council is to reevaluate the need for the campsites and vote whether or not to extend the contract.

If the contract is extended, the Regis University and Park Hill campsites would still move to new locations as the previous Capitol Hill campsites did, according to Colorado Village Collaborative. The future sites have not yet been identified.

More information about the campsites and how to get involved is available at coloradovillagecollaborative.org/safe-outdoor-space.