A Refuge Built on the Gospel: Samaritan House Celebrates 40 Years of Serving Denver’s Homeless
- André Escaleira, Jr.
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Inspired by the Good Samaritan and founded by Denver Archbishop James V. Casey, the nation’s first purpose-built homeless shelter continues answering Christ's call to love neighbors through faithful acts of compassion.
The country’s first homeless shelter designed as such is turning 40, with a humble yet impactful celebration of the thousands of lives it has changed.
On July 31, 1985, in his final major public act as Denver’s shepherd, Archbishop James V. Casey broke ground on Samaritan House. It was a direct response to a dire need noticed after severe winter storms led people to church doors seeking warmth and shelter. Instead of treating the symptom, Archbishop Casey sought to address the underlying crisis by creating a permanent home built specifically for people experiencing homelessness.
Though Archbishop Casey would not live to see it completed, then-Archbishop J. Francis Stafford continued the effort in earnest. At the November 20, 1986, grand opening, he prophetically called Samaritan House to a ministry of presence.
“The world of poverty is a world of death through neglect,” he said. “Here we answer that neglect with love.”
To celebrate the 40th anniversary, staff, volunteers and donors of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver gathered alongside guests of Samaritan House for a special Mass and luncheon honoring the ministry’s impact.
‘Cross the Road’
At the anniversary Mass, Father Barnabas Eichor, O.F.M. Cap., Catholic Charities’ chaplain, reflected on the shelter’s mission of encounter.
While one shelter cannot solve the problem of homelessness by itself, “you could open one door; you can prepare one meal; you can make one bed; you can listen to one story,” he said.
“For years, thousands of such acts have become the history of this Samaritan House,” he remarked.
Pointing to the providence behind the shelter’s name, Father Eichor recalled the Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which the most unlikely person stopped to save an Israelite beaten by robbers and left for dead.
“The Samaritan simply refused to pass by the person who God had placed before him,” Father Eichor explained.
For 40 years, that refusal to pass by has involved daily, concrete acts of love.
“That is how the kingdom of God really grows: not through one dramatic gesture that solves everything, but through faithful acts of love repeated every day,” Father Eichor remarked.
Those small acts of love may not solve homelessness, but they do answer Jesus’ call in Matthew 25 to serve him in those most in need.
“The Lord doesn't allow the complexity of these problems to become an excuse for ignoring the person standing before us,” Father Eichor said. “For forty years, Christ has entered this house under many appearances; he's been hungry, tired, frightened and angry. He's entered carrying a child; he has entered carrying everything he owns. He's entered with wounds that could be seen, and wounds hidden from everyone except God. And yet here in this place, Christ was welcomed. Today we give thanks for all who made that welcome possible.”
In the face of such need, no matter the circumstances, the Gospel calls each to “cross the road,” Father Eichor emphasized, “not because we can do everything but because we can do something, not because we possess every answer but because love does not wait until every question has a meaning and an answer.”
Extending Jesus’ Healing Ministry
That Samaritan welcome and service have blossomed over the last 40 years into a comprehensive continuum of care, both at Samaritan House and across the Catholic Charities network.
“The mission of Catholic Charities is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to the poor and those in need,” said Darren Walsh, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver. “Bishop Rodríguez said it best — Jesus walks through these doors every day with the folks that we serve. It’s pretty amazing.”
“Keeping Jesus’ ministry alive is one of the things he invited us to do in this place,” added Father Bill Krause, O.F.M. Cap., the first director of Samaritan House.
Certainly, the numbers are impressive — 2,600 volunteers each year, more than 100,000 people served annually, hundreds of pediatric health care visits — but Samaritan House’s impact goes far deeper, Walsh emphasized.
“It’s not about the numbers. It’s about the personal relationships and the stories of those that we heal and those who we come in touch with,” he said.
“While we provide beds, clothing, and meals, we have never seen our mission as simply offering a handout. We strive to be a hand-up,” added Jennifer Daies, Catholic Charities’ regional director of operations for shelters. “Through case management, mental health services, educational classes and other supportive programming, participants are equipped with the tools, resources and confidence they need to build a brighter future.”
One of the most impactful partnerships has been the Every Child Pediatrics clinic at Samaritan House, believed to be the first health clinic of its kind within a homeless shelter in the United States.
Since its opening in 2023, the clinic has provided hundreds of children and families with quality, affordable healthcare that they otherwise would not have been able to access.
“What began as a bold idea has become a powerful example of what is possible when organizations work together in a shared commitment to our children's well-being,” said Orlando Padilla, Catholic Charities’ executive director of shelters. “Thanks to the generosity and support of the community, those children still receive the care and the compassionate advocacy that they deserve. These are just statistics we know, and they represent healthier children, stronger families, and brighter futures.”
That holy, compassionate mission has led to Samaritan House’s record-low rate of returns into homelessness, Daies noted, “with almost no families or veterans experiencing homelessness again after successfully completing our program in the first year.”
A Community Mission
But that kind of impact doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Thanks to the thousands of dedicated volunteers, staff members, clergy and community partners over the last 40 years, Samaritan House has stood as a beacon of hope in Denver.
The Samaritan mission has been sustained by people like Marie Saavedra, 95, a Samaritan House volunteer for 32 years; staff members like Ryan Sherman, who has served Catholic Charities for 20 years; and 15-year veteran Jessica Gonzalez, so well known and trusted that individuals often come to Samaritan House’s doors asking for her by name.
“When we reflect on the impact of Samaritan House, it is impossible to separate the story of this place from the story of our volunteers,” said Jen Cerf, Catholic Charities’ director of volunteer services. “They are the reason we have been able to serve thousands of individuals and families. They are the reason the doors have remained open and tables full and our mission alive.”
The Next 40 Years
As Samaritan House looks forward to its next chapter of compassionate Catholic care to those most in need, there is much to be hopeful for.
Several wildly successful Cozy Companion Drives across the Archdiocese of Denver have allowed Catholic Charities to provide stuffed animals to children navigating homelessness, a small sign that they are not alone. At the anniversary celebration, two children staying at Samaritan House ran in excitedly, proudly holding their teddy bears.
That small act of compassion led to the writing of Sammy’s Big Adventure, a children’s picture book that both shares the shelter’s history and accompanies children through their transition to Samaritan House.
A dedicated team of volunteers and Samaritan House supporters is also embarking on a bold journey across the United States this fall. Taking to their bikes, they will Ride Across America, in a 3,000-mile trek from California to Florida to raise awareness and funds for homeless ministry in Denver and beyond.
In everything unfolding at Samaritan House, “magnificent humanity” is on full display, Father Krause said, drawing on Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical.
“Magnificent humanity is all of us,” he emphasized. “It's the ones who come to our door. It's the ones who let them in, serve them and take care of them. It's the ones who develop programs and buildings. All of that is magnificent humanity in this ministry.”
Forty years later, that remains Samaritan House’s mission: to honor human dignity, share the Gospel and make the healing presence of Jesus Christ known to those most in need.
“As we celebrate 40 years at Samaritan House, we honor the visionaries who built it, the staff and volunteers who have sustained it, the donors and partners who have strengthened it, and most importantly, the thousands of men and women and children whose lives have intersected with this place,” Daies concluded. “Samaritan House has never simply been a building. It's a community, it's a refuge, it’s a reminder that every person is worthy of dignity and belonging and hope. After 40 years, the mission remains as important as ever.”
