The Volunteers of America wants to obtain ownership of a property on Avenida del Sol where it has operated the Durango Community Shelter for nearly four decades.
The shelter, which the VOA has leased from the city for 36 years, is a place for individuals and families experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet.
VOA Vice President of Advancement Faustine Curry presented her case for transferring ownership of the property at 1055 Avenida del Sol to the VOA at a City Council meeting last month.
Councilors discussed the merits of the city retaining a first right of refusal should the VOA be granted ownership and then decide at a later time to sell the property. Carrie Woodson, La Plata County assessor, said the property in question is valued at $872,790.
“We’ve reached a point where the Durango Community Shelter needs substantial upgrades and there has to be quite a bit of investment in the shelter to make those happen,” Curry said.
She said the VOA has invested a quarter-million dollars into capital investments and nearly $2 million into operating expenses to staff and maintain the shelter. Continuing to invest at that level is no longer sustainable without ownership.
“We have done all of this because it’s the right thing to do,” Curry said. “People here in Durango, people in Southwest Colorado, have needed the shelter and needed the services it provides.”
In 2025, the shelter had 279 guests, 43 of whom were children, providing 9,300 total nights of shelter and serving nearly 28,000 meals, she said. The shelter has 35 beds and is at full capacity nightly, and consistently has a waiting list for access.
Curry said the shelter is more than simply emergency housing – it offers employment, stabilization and crisis-management services, and is a “pathway forward” to those who need it.
Owning the property will allow the VOA to continue to invest responsibly and strategically, she said. The property needs another $150,000 investment for plumbing, flooring, bathroom renovations and additional family space.
“Most importantly, transfer of ownership ensures Durango continues to have a long-term community-based partner investing in the shelter and the citizens of Durango and of Southwest Colorado,” she said.
Councilors voted 4-1 on an ordinance to transfer ownership from the city to the VOA in a first reading on May 19. Councilor Gilda Yazzie voted no.
Yazzie said she is worried about giving away more city land, noting residents have brought up similar concerns to her during past public councilor office hours at the Durango Public Library.
She mentioned the Library Neighborhood Association, a group of residents who took issue with the city’s former plans to develop private workforce housing on a public lot soon to be vacated by Tri-County Head Start. One of the association’s concerns was with the city proposing to give a rare city-owned property away for private, for-profit use.
The city agreed to slow down the project and revisit how the lot to be vacated by Head Start will be used, and to make sure the library neighborhood was included early in the conversation.
“To me, continuing with a lease is good,” Yazzie said about the Durango Community Shelter.
She said she understands the VOA has a lot of investments to consider.
“I am concerned with getting rid of a lot of public lands that we are supposed to caretake for the city. … We just don’t have unlimited assets for the city going long-term,” she said.
Yazzie said leasing the property to the VOA gives the city “buy-in” in the sense the city is helping to address homelessness.
“This is what the city can do, because homelessness is a big issue in the city of Durango,” she said. “I don’t know how we would fill that gap if we turned over ownership of the property to the VOA.”
Councilor Kip Koso said if the city transfers ownership to the VOA, it should include some sort of condition to ensure the property continues to be used as a shelter should the VOA sell the property.
Mayor Dave Woodruff and Councilor Jessika Loyer agreed.
City Manager José Madrigal and City Attorney Mark Morgan recommended the city include a first right of refusal in the terms of its agreement with the VOA to ensure the city has an opportunity to reclaim ownership of the property if the VOA decides to move on from it.
Councilor Shirley Gonzales said she wants City Council to prioritize supporting the unhoused, and helping the VOA is a “good step.”
City Council was scheduled to further consider transferring ownership of the property to the VOA on Tuesday.
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