© 2026
NPR News, Colorado Stories
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
In the NoCo

Why Aurora’s mayor spends Friday nights sleeping at a shelter for the unhoused – and what he’s learned from it

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman wears a light blue shirt and a black jacket and slacks. He's standing among rows of green cots at the Aurora regional homeless center
Kevin J Beaty
/
Courtesy of Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman

On a given night, there are more than 800 people experiencing homelessness in the city of Aurora.

That's according to the most recent survey from the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative. Some of them find shelter and support at a regional center designed to house up to 600 people.

On Friday nights, one of those people is the city’s top elected official.

Since late February, Aurora mayor Mike Coffman has spent his Friday nights sleeping on a cot at the shelter. He says it gives him unique insight into the program and how to improve it.

Coffman joined Erin O'Toole to talk about why he wanted to do this, and what kind of impact it's had on city policies.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.