Eighteen-year-old Ryan Murillo takes a break from coloring a wolf scene in a small room inside The Place’s relocated drop-in center for youth who are homeless.

Adult coloring books quiet his mind and “keep my brain steady,” he says.

Murillo moved to Colorado Springs from Arizona six months ago and said family issues led him to become homeless. He’s been spending the nights at Springs Rescue Mission, the city’s largest emergency shelter. He doesn’t like it there much. With all the rules, it feels like being in jail, he said.

During the day, Murillo goes to The Place to play video games, color, talk to his girlfriend, work on earning a GED, get his resume in order and think about how his life will improve once he moves up the list and into the organization’s transitional housing program.

“Being on the streets sucks,” he said Thursday. “It’s breathing. That’s all it is.”

The Place closed its 20-bed overnight shelter for homeless teens and young adults on Sept. 5, citing financial constraints and funding uncertainties.

Less than two weeks ago, the organization closed its day center that had been at 2708 E. Fountain Blvd., since 2021, and moved everything to the now-shuttered shelter at 423 E. Cucharras St.

Painting, unpacking boxes and setting up the space is ongoing for staff and volunteers, said Becky Gundrum, interim CEO.

But the new location for the drop-in center is open during the relocation, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. New features for clients are on-site showers and laundry facilities and a full-size kitchen where clients can cook their own meals.

Youth ages 16 through 24 also can hang out, rest, obtain clothing, snacks, supplies, access to computers, video games, television, a library and case managers. There’s also assistance with vital documents, education, housing, mental and physical health referrals, government benefits and help finding a job.

Twelve clients came in Thursday morning for breakfast, a low count from the up to 25 who stop by daily.

Operating under a “harm reduction” model means there are baskets of condoms and Naloxone nasal spray, which reduces the effects of an opioid overdose, at the front desk where clients sign in and are assessed for vulnerability in mental and physical health and needs.

“Our goal is to keep you as safe as possible,” Gundrum said. “We’re not going to tell you what to do — our goal is to educate, these are the risks, here are referrals.”

Some clients find their way to The Place after encountering a street outreach team, which “meets them where they are, in parks, the library, the Marian House (soup kitchen),” she said.

Others like Murillo learn about the day center from Springs Rescue Mission, which serves adult men and women ages 18 and older.

Some who frequent the drop-in facility have moved into the organization’s 50 transitional housing units scattered across the city or The Launchpad, a 50-unit transitional apartment complex on the city’s westside that opened in June. They return for case management, camaraderie and other services, Gundrum said.

Since shutting down the emergency shelter portion of the building, The Place has been receiving calls from youth wondering where they can get assistance, Gundrum said. The closure has left the city with no homeless shelter for teens under age 18.

“The congregate shelter model is outdated,” she said. “(Youth) are very resourceful and find places to stay for the night.”

Some spend the night with friends and come to the center in the day, for example, and many have jobs they go to and use the center when they can.

Demetrius Abrams, 21, who also is at Springs Rescue Mission and uses The Place’s drop-in center, said it’s been “really hard” living on the streets. But the staff at The Place have been “delightful.”

“I just got a job, they’re helping me get housing, they’ve made me feel like family,” he said. “They’ve been there when I needed them.”

The Place is part of the region’s cold-weather emergency services plan for people who are homeless and hopes to receive enough grants and donations to expand the day center’s hours on days colder than 19 degrees, to keep clients warm as winter approaches, Gundrum said.

Also on the horizon: possible building renovations sponsored by HBA Cares, the philanthropic arm of the Housing & Building Association of Colorado Springs that organizes charitable community projects.

The search for a new CEO for The Place is ongoing, and applications are being reviewed, said Gundrum, formerly the organization’s chief operating officer.

In all, she said The Place has about 300 active clients, 100 in transitional housing and 200 in other programs.