Aurora and partners unveil Aurora Regional Navigation Campus

The city of Aurora and its government and nonprofit partners celebrated the substantial completion of the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus at a special event on Nov. 6, marking a bold step forward for homelessness resolution in Colorado's third largest city.

Featuring space enough for 600 participants at full capacity, the innovative facility located at 15500 E. 40th Ave., will open for operations on Nov. 17.

Utilizing an approach to homelessness resolution developed through a public-private partnership between Aurora and the facility's nonprofit operator, Advance Pathways, the campus will employ a unique, tiered system to providing shelter to people experiencing homelessness in Aurora and across the region. The multiple tiers provide incentives to participants to work with service providers, make progress on critical life goals and achieve the maximum amount of self-sufficiency possible.

The first tier is a low-barrier shelter that offers immediate access to a safe, warm place to sleep for those in urgent need. From there, participants who engage with case managers and make progress in areas of emphasis including housing, mental health and employment, will have the opportunity to move into the second and third tiers of shelter in the facility, each offering them more privacy and privileges. Participants living in private rooms in the third tier of the facility must be working and contribute a third of their income back toward to the program.

"The Aurora Regional Navigation Campus is a culmination of years of planning and work by Aurora city leaders to address homelessness with compassion but also with a focus on accountability," Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman said. "I believe that the incentive-driven approach that Aurora and Advance Pathways have developed will benefit both participants and the entire community, providing a blueprint for effective homelessness resolution."

The city selected Advance Pathways to be part of a public-private partnership to operate the facility through a competitive bid process in part because the organization brings a holistic, people-focused approach to its work.

"The opening of the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus represents a major step forward in how communities address homelessness," said Jim Goebelbecker, CEO of Advance Pathways. "This campus gives people the stability, resources, and relationships they need to rebuild their lives. It's not just about housing - it's about restoring hope and purpose."

The campus is the result of a $40 million project to purchase and renovate the former Crowne Plaza Hotel just off Interstate 70 and Chambers Road in Aurora.

Mayor Coffman and city leaders expressed their thanks at the event for the support the campus has received from federal, state and local partners. Funding for the campus project came, in part, from the following sources:

• $15,360,852 - Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA)
• $5,000,000 - Aurora American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Funds
• $3,734,741 - Department of the Interior HOME-ARP Funds
• $5,000,000 - Adams County ARPA Funds
• $3,270,861 - Adams County HUD HOME-ARP Funds
• $5,000,000 - Arapahoe County ARPA Funds
• $1,125,000 - Douglas County ARPA Funds
• $1,500,000 - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) COVID Funds

Ongoing funding for the operations of the facility will rely on private sector support. Aurora will contribute $2 million annually to support ongoing maintenance and the Tier 1 shelter. Advance is required to raise the remainder of the funding. The organization has received support from the Daniels Fund, Anschutz Foundation and other regional partners as it continues to fundraise for the campus.

Governor Jared Polis and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado Dianne Primavera toured the facility Thursday.

"We are focused on creating more housing for every Coloradan, and this type of support can help make that possible for more people in our communities. I appreciate the partnerships that helped make this possible and the state is proud to support this important work," Gov. Polis said.

"The Polis-Primavera administration is focused on helping make housing more accessible for everyone. The Aurora Regional Navigation Campus is more than a building-it's a lifeline. And together, we are creating a Colorado where everyone has the opportunity to thrive," Primavera said.

Members of the public are invited to get a closer look at the facility during a community open house event on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Doors open at 3 p.m. with a short program beginning at 3:30 p.m. Mayor Coffman, Mayor Pro Tem Steve Sundberg and other local officials will be in attendance. The open house concludes at 6 p.m.

At that event, the city will also dedicate a mural in the building's "day room" painted by Colorado artist Mario Miguel Echevarria. The mural, titled "Weaving Together Improves the Pattern" was commissioned by Aurora's Art in Public Places program and features a variety of birds, including a variety called "sociable weavers." Sociable weavers build enduring communal nests not unlike the work Aurora and Advance will be carrying out at the campus.

To learn more, please visit the project page at EngageAurora.org/NavigationCampus.

For an inside look at the campus, visit AuroraTV.org.