Homeless Shelters Denver: How to Find a Bed and Food

Need shelter in Denver tonight? Start here

The homeless shelters Denver works with change hours, rules and space often, so start with the official sources below rather than an old list. If you are in danger, call 911.

211 Colorado: dial 2-1-1, text your ZIP code to 898-211 (message and data rates may apply) or chat in English or Spanish at 211colorado.org. It is confidential and multilingual.
A front door site: the City's Walk-up Shelter Access page lists the current front door locations and intake hours.
Not safe at home: call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. The City's walk-up page also lists a Denver 24-hour crisis line.
Crisis or thoughts of suicide: call or text 988.
Veterans: call the VA's National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.

For shelter types and what to ask before you go, see our national guide, Homeless Shelter Near Me. This page covers what is specific to Denver.

How the homeless shelters Denver works with are organized

The City's Department of Housing Stability (HOST) works with many agencies to provide the homeless shelters Denver offers. Instead of making people in crisis call each one, the City names a few centrally located “front door” sites as the way into the whole system, according to its Find Shelter page. Front doors have longer intake hours, help you pick the right shelter and have transportation to other facilities.

Front door sites: walk-up access plus referrals, and sometimes rides, to other shelters when space allows.
Walk-up only sites: take people who arrive in person but do not refer to other shelters.
Day centers: daytime shelter and support during business hours. They are not overnight shelters.
Shelter alternatives: limited options for couples, people with pets, transgender people, people with health conditions, families and people living in a vehicle. They have waiting lists and are not walk-up; ask an outreach worker or case manager at a front door site or day center for a referral.

HOST also runs a free circulator bus for people experiencing homelessness; routes and hours are on the Find Shelter page. Lists of homeless shelters Denver residents find on other websites go out of date fast, so check the City's pages or call 211 the same day.

Homeless shelters Denver families, youth and veterans can use

Some groups have their own way in. The City's walk-up and day center pages list the current options; call before you travel.

Families with children: the City's walk-up page lists a phone intake line for family shelters. Say how many adults and children need a place.
Youth and young adults: the same page lists a youth shelter with walk-up access. Young people can also call or text the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-786-2929, 24/7.
Veterans: the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans is free and open 24/7. For housing through OneHome, veterans first verify their VA eligibility by phone or at an access point.
Domestic violence survivors: confidential shelters do not publish their addresses. Reach them through the National Domestic Violence Hotline or the Denver crisis line the City lists.
Older adults and women: the City's day center list includes places for people 60 and over and for women, transgender and nonbinary people.
Pets: service animals are allowed in Denver's shelters. For other pets, the City's pet assistance page lists limited temporary pet housing, pet food help and a few shelter options that keep pets with you.

OneHome: the front door to housing, not a bed tonight

A shelter is for tonight. For longer-term housing, metro Denver uses OneHome, a coordinated entry system. According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI), it serves people experiencing homelessness in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties, and dozens of housing programs use it to fill openings.

Find an access point or assessing partner on MDHI's lists. If you already have a case manager or outreach worker, ask them first.
Take the OneHome assessment with a case manager or outreach worker. It asks about your housing history, health, safety and preferences.
Wait for a match. MDHI says not everyone who enters OneHome gets housing, but it puts you on the list for openings, prioritized by vulnerability.
Keep your phone number and contacts current so programs can reach you.

To take the assessment, a household generally must meet HUD's definition of literal homelessness, such as sleeping outside, in a car or in a shelter. Young adults 18 to 24 who will lose their housing within 14 days and have nowhere else to go can also qualify.

Severe weather: how to check if Denver opened more shelter

Denver's Severe Weather Shelter Plans page says the Department of Public Health & Environment monitors conditions and decides when temperatures call for an activation. The City's plan opens recreation centers as warming locations during business hours and adds overnight shelter so everyone can come inside.

Look for a banner on denvergov.org. The City says one appears when overflow shelter is activated, with details at the top of the Severe Weather Shelter Plans page.
Go to a front door site. The City refers people there and transports them to overnight shelter.
Call 211 to ask what is open tonight.
If someone outside seems confused, very cold or will not respond, call 911.

Food banks Denver residents can use, and SNAP through Colorado PEAK

To find food banks Denver residents can reach, start with the Food Bank of the Rockies Find Food pantry locator, which lists free food distributions. Enter an address or ZIP code, tap “Open Today” to see what is open, and open “More Information” for days, hours and any requirements. The instructions are also in Spanish.

Denver's food assistance page lists more free food, including:

free monthly mobile pantry events from Food Bank of the Rockies;
free after-school meals for youth ages 3 to 18 at many Denver Parks and Recreation locations, with no ID or registration;
Everyday Eats, a monthly food package for qualifying Coloradans 60 and over.

For groceries, apply for SNAP online through Colorado PEAK, in person at a Denver Human Services location or on a paper application in English or Spanish. Denver Human Services answers questions at 720-944-4DHS (4347), and the Hunger Free Colorado hotline (855-855-4626) can help you apply by phone.

Colorado's SNAP page says the county has 30 days to decide, but some households can get expedited benefits within 7 days, for example with less than $100 in cash and less than $150 in monthly earnings, or housing costs higher than monthly income.

What to bring, and help with a disability

Bring what you can carry: ID, benefit cards, medicines in their original bottles, a phone and charger, and papers in a plastic bag. If you have no ID, go anyway and ask what staff need. The City's Housing and Homelessness Guide gathers the other homeless resources Denver offers, from property storage to job help.

Tell 211 or front door staff about any disability, medical need or mobility device so they can point you to a shelter that fits.
The City's shelter guide says that during weekday business hours, 211 can connect people with disabilities who are experiencing homelessness to transportation help.
Service animals are allowed in Denver's shelters.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing can reach the City's TTY line at (720) 913-8479.
The City's website can be translated into Spanish and many other languages, and 211 Colorado is multilingual.

Where HomelessHelper fits

HomelessHelper is a free resource directory for shelter, food, health care and showers, with no account to create. To look for homeless shelters in Denver, pick Colorado and then Denver from the county list. Every listing shows its source, such as official federal data or community-mapped data, and links to the original record.

Colorado is the one state with an extra hand-verified layer: 42 listings that spell out services, who a place serves, whether a referral is required, documents and cost. Four of them carry an hour-by-hour schedule; the rest carry a written availability note. Confidential domestic violence shelters are left off the map on purpose.

HomelessHelper is not a live bed count and does not reserve beds, so call the provider to confirm intake, hours and space before you go. It is independent, not a government agency, and keeps 211, 988 and 911 one tap away. See how HomelessHelper works.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I go for a homeless shelter in Denver tonight?

Front door sites are the way into the homeless shelters Denver partners with. Find them on the City's Walk-up Shelter Access page, or call 211. They can refer you, and sometimes give you a ride, to other shelters when space allows.

Does OneHome give me a shelter bed?

No. OneHome is metro Denver's coordinated entry system for housing. It assesses your needs and puts you on a list for housing openings. For tonight, use a front door site or 211.

How do I know if Denver opened cold weather shelter?

Look for a banner on denvergov.org, check the City's Severe Weather Shelter Plans page or call 211. People are referred to front door sites and transported to overnight shelter.

Where can I find food banks in Denver that are open today?

Use the Food Bank of the Rockies pantry locator and tap Open Today, then read the listing's hours and requirements. Call ahead when a phone number is listed.

How do I apply for SNAP in Denver?

Apply online through Colorado PEAK, in person at Denver Human Services or with a paper application. Call 720-944-4DHS (4347) with questions.

Can I bring my pet to a Denver shelter?

Service animals are allowed. For other pets, ask before you go; the City lists limited temporary pet housing and a few shelter options that let pets stay with you.

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Homeless Shelters Denver: How to Find Shelter, Food and Help