People in the Fort Collins homeless community are looking for a new place to go after a fire at the Fort Collins Rescue Mission on Saturday.
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The Poudre Fire Authority said they responded to the fire at 7:16 p.m. No injuries were reported, but 82 people were displaced as a result of the fire and smoke damage.
According to the Rescue Mission’s CEO Dennis Van Kampen, the fire started in the kitchen. He says he's thankful everyone got out of the building without incident.
“Our staff did an amazing job of making sure that everyone got out safe and we are thanking God that no one was hurt,” said Van Kampen in a video posted online.
In the video, he also said that despite the building having insurance, the organization will need a significant amount of money to get the building reopened.
The Fort Collins Rescue Mission opened originally in 2012 in downtown Fort Collins to provide 24-hour service to men experiencing homelessness. The shelter , which is located on Jefferson St., provides shelter, food and other services.
The fire is disrupting services that some community members rely on. In the meantime, other organizations in Fort Collins are working to help. That includes Outreach Fort Collins, which works with the city’s displaced population. They do not operate any shelters but are a resource for those in need, especially when someone is experiencing a crisis.
However, this time, instead of helping an individual, they are helping the community as a whole by working to find new places for people to go.
“I think it's pretty remarkable that as a Fort Collins community, we're able to come together and collaborate so well across city and nonprofit providers to try to figure out long-term or short-term solutions in this case,” said Andy Spraign, the deputy director of Outreach Fort Collins.
He said that as of now, there are only about 40 emergency beds available for those in need. In comparison, the Rescue Mission offered 89 beds plus additional mats on the floor. To help, Spraign and his team are working with other organizations and the Murphy Center shelter to house more people.
“My hope is that with a variety of partners coming together, we'll continue to look at all options available to increase that number and meet the long-term need,” said Spraign.
There’s no word on how the fire started, but it remains under investigation.
Recently, the Rescue Mission was focused on opening a new shelter that comes with 250 beds. The organization hopes to open that in 2026.
