The biting cold of winter has sent more unhoused individuals searching for shelter in Grand Junction, a city already grappling with an economic squeeze and soaring unemployment. With shelters reaching capacity and affordable housing slipping further out of reach, advocates are calling for urgent solutions.

“A Crisis Unfolding in the Cold”

Eric Niederkruger, a long-time homelessness advocate in Grand Junction, doesn’t mince words when discussing the growing crisis.

“Grand Junction is a notoriously low-paying town, so the combination of economic strife and unemployment is taking its toll,” he said.

Data from the Common Sense Institute estimates that over 2,000 individuals were unhoused in Grand Junction as of 2023. With winter temperatures plummeting, the demand for shelter is at an all-time high.

“Shelters at Maximum Capacity”

The nonprofit Homeward Bound has been on the front lines, offering overnight stays, warm meals, and showers. But their facilities are stretched thin.

“We were seeing around 270 individuals a night between our two overnight shelter locations,” said Amber Henning, Chief Advancement Officer for Homeward Bound.

The organization’s newest addition, the Resource Center, provides a daytime safe haven. Since opening in January 2024, it has served over 16,000 meals and nearly 8,000 showers. But nighttime accommodations are another story.

“Needing more shelter is a likely reality for us. We are hitting our highest numbers that we can take at Homeward Bound,” Henning added.

“Personal Struggles in a Growing Community”

For people like Spooner D, the new Resource Center has been life-changing.

“The last year was really kind of tough without this place. This place here is a godsend,” he said.

Before the center existed, he and others sought warmth wherever they could.

“We all just had to find cover…find the warmest place we could,” he recalled.

The sense of community among the unhoused is undeniable.

“You meet different people. They’re into different things, and everybody has their own story,” Spooner D shared.

“Housing Costs Outpacing Wages”

Many in Grand Junction find themselves unhoused due to a simple yet devastating reality: rent is too high.

A study by JG Research found that rental prices in the city have surged by 50-60% since 2019, while wages have barely budged. To afford housing, residents need to earn over $52,000 per year—an unreachable figure for many in low-wage jobs.

“When talking about the homeless, we often hear about services. That’s fine and people do need services, but above all, they need housing…and they need affordable housing,” said Niederkruger.

A key issue, he pointed out, is the city’s preference for high-end developments.

“The City of Grand Junction makes decisions that lean towards higher-scale rentals,” he noted.

“City Leaders Weigh In”

Mayor Pro Tem Randall Reitz acknowledged the complexity of the situation.

“It’s a growing population and there’s no ‘one’ community that does it the best way, but we have very bright people on staff, great partners in the community, and we’re doing the best we can,” Reitz said.

But for advocates, words aren’t enough. They stress that compassion must be at the heart of any solution.

“When we look at the issue of houselessness, it is just that. It is an issue. The people themselves, they’re your neighbors, they’re your friends, brothers, sisters, uncles, coworkers. They’re people just like you and me,” Henning emphasized.