Harvest Farm, Denver Rescue Mission’s long-running rural New Life rehabilitation program in Wellington, is shutting down. The nonprofit confirmed it will close the 100-acre residential recovery site, a move that ends on-site treatment and work programs there and is expected to displace dozens of men who have been living and working on the farm. Mission leaders say the decision is part of a broader shift in how services will be delivered in northern Colorado.
As first reported by 9News, Denver Rescue Mission has confirmed it will end Harvest Farm’s New Life Program and intends to open a new homeless shelter in northern Colorado, although full details have not yet been made public.
Harvest Farm at a glance
Harvest Farm is a 100-acre working farm near Wellington that houses the Mission’s New Life residential program and can serve roughly 72 men, according to Denver Rescue Mission. Fort Collins Rescue Mission, which operates locally under the Mission’s umbrella, describes the site as a place where on-the-job farm work is blended with counseling and life-skills training to help participants move toward stable housing.
The Mission’s own history notes that it acquired Mercy Farm in 1988 and later renamed it Harvest Farm, giving the program decades of local presence in northern Colorado; see the Denver Rescue Mission.
Farm’s recent role in northern Colorado
Beyond its core recovery work, the farm has stepped in as an emergency overflow shelter when local capacity tightened. After a kitchen fire at the Fort Collins Rescue Mission last winter, the nonprofit set up temporary shelter space at Harvest Farm so more men could be housed while downtown repairs were underway, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
What’s next
Denver Rescue Mission told 9News it plans to open a new homeless shelter in northern Colorado as it transitions away from Harvest Farm, but the outlet reported that the organization has not yet shared a detailed public timeline. Community providers and county officials will likely be involved in finding new housing and treatment placements for current residents who need them.
Where people can turn
People seeking help in northern Colorado can contact Fort Collins Rescue Mission or use county resources for referrals. Larimer County maintains an online community-resource guide that lists local shelters, day centers and behavioral-health contacts that may be able to assist during the transition.
The decision marks a major change for a program that has provided long-term recovery pathways in the region, and it raises immediate questions about where those treatment slots will come from in the near term. We will update this story as Denver Rescue Mission and local agencies release more information on timelines, placement plans and outpatient alternatives.
