wordglassPeople lit makeshift fires outside a controversial cold-weather shelter the city kept closed
Daniel Scray and PJ Johnson warm themselves by a fire near the Aspen shelter at 4040 Quebec St. March 15, 2026.
Kyle Harris/Denverite
1/7
Veteran Daniel Scray and his friend PJ Johnson sat on snowy gravel, warming themselves with a cardboard-and-twig fire as temperatures plummeted toward single digits.
The men were only a short walk from The Aspen, a former DoubleTree hotel turned long-term homeless shelter.
2/7
The men were only a short walk from The Aspen, a former DoubleTree hotel turned long-term homeless shelter.
2/7
Until recently, the city also offered emergency cold-weather shelter there, providing respite during winter storms like the one last weekend.
3/7
3/7
But the city was keeping The Aspen’s emergency shelter section and several other spots closed.
The decision to keep the ballroom of The Aspen locked followed criticism from local leaders, who said the mayor had concentrated homeless services in northeast Denver.
5/7
In contrast, homelessness advocates — and people living on the streets — said that closing The Aspen’s ballroom left people in the cold.
The previous week, advocates had protested by setting up tents outside The Aspen and handing out food, sleeping bags and blankets.
6/7
During this Sunday afternoon snowstorm, there were no protests, just people struggling to stay alive.
Read more:
https://denverite.com/2026/03/18/denver-cold-weather-shelter-closure-the-aspen/
7/7
