Homelessness in Denver’s suburbs is rising. Arapahoe County launched a hopeful solution.
share
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As a classically trained French chef working in Miami, Christopher Charles never thought he would end up behind bars. But he began drinking heavily after several people close to him passed away. In 2021, he moved to Gilpin County, Colorado, where he was arrested multiple times for driving under the influence.
By the end of that year, Charles was serving a six-month sentence in the Gilpin County Jail without the option of work release. During that time, he lost his home, his support system and nearly everything he had built.
“I had really hit rock bottom,” he said.
After his release, Charles entered Boulder Bridge House, a year-long “ready-to-work” program that offered housing and meals in exchange for his work cleaning Boulder parks.
He graduated from the program in 2023 with a renewed sense of purpose and a goal of helping others who experienced incarceration, homelessness or both.
That goal became a reality in May 2025, when Bridge House opened the Tri-Cities Homelessness Navigation Center, serving Englewood, Sheridan and Littleton. Charles took the role of housing manager at the facility. He helps unhoused people secure full-time housing or join the ready-to-work program.
The center, a collaboration between Bridge House and the cities of Englewood, Sheridan and Littleton, has two components: a short-term shelter where unhoused people can stay for up to three weeks, and a year-long ready-to-work program that provides participants with housing in on-site bedrooms while they work in local parks and landscaping crews.
Arapahoe County’s point-in-time count showed an 11% increase in homeless residents from 2024 to 2025; the survey recorded 285 individuals experiencing homelessness. The navigation center is the South Metro’s first brick-and-mortar resource for unhoused people.
Scott Medina, Bridge House community relations director, said75% of participants who entered the ready-to-work program at their Boulder and Aurora sites graduated.
“This is not supposed to be a quick fix,” Medina said. “Coming out of the traumatic experience of homelessness takes time.”
Ashley Beck, navigation manager, said most of the folks she encounters want to get better. Many recently lost homes or jobs and have only spent short periods of time on the streets, if any time at all.
Those wanting to stay in the navigation center have to be completely sober, but Beck said not all are ready to do so. She said she refers many interested residents to inpatient rehabilitation facilities, as well as assisted living homes for elderly and disabled folks.
“A lot of our population here hasn’t built a life on the streets,” Beck said. “Homelessness might be new for them and they want to get help before going down that path.”
Since the center opened May 29, Beck has helped around 100 people, either by referring them to other agencies or admitting them to the temporary 50-bed shelter or ready-to-work programs at the navigation center. The ready-to-work program holds 50 beds. Seventeen are currently occupied.
“I think it’s working great,” said Rober Scallion, a 54-year-old man in the ready-to-work program. “Everybody is getting off their feet and learning from each other.”
Scallion’s house outside of Jefferson City, Mo. burned down in December 2024, leaving him on the streets. In January, he moved in with his daughter in Littleton before moving into the ready-to-work program at the center when it opened in May. Scallion now spends his days beautifying parks in Englewood alongside 16 others who are hoping for a better life.
“I'm a career-minded type of person,” said Scallion, 54.
Before his house burned down, Scallion owned a house-painting business. He hopes to re-enter that industry when he graduates from the ready-to-work program in May.
“I never thought this would happen to me,” Scallion said. “And now that I’m here, I see these people roaming the streets and I think all of them should come here.”
Travis Coleman spent 14 years working in law enforcement in Kansas, first as a corrections officer, then a sheriff’s deputy, before issues with his family and substance use resulted in homelessness. Coleman moved to Colorado earlier this year and joined the ready-to-work program in Englewood as soon as he could.
“Now I’m back,” Coleman said. “I’m me again.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.