SINTON SANCTUARY PROVIDES A SAFE SPACE FOR SENIOR WOMEN TO LAY THEIR HEADS Story and photos by Mariana Ortega Rivera FORMERLY A PRINT AND SIGNAGE SHOP, Sinton Sanctuary has become a refuge for older women experiencing homelessness, transforming not only its building but the lives of the women it serves. Since its opening during the peak of COVID in 2020, Sinton Sanctuary has served 219 women and permanently housed 101 of them. Years ago, when the building was donated to Volunteers of America (VOA), there was a need for programming for veterans. The building was then remodeled to establish the Bill Daniels Veteran Services Center, where VOA envisioned using some of the space as a shelter. Lindi Sinton — for whom the sanctuary is named and who is now retired as vice president of programs at VOA — and Angel Hurtado, chief programs officer, recognized a need for a shelter for older women after witnessing the high number of older women visiting their walk-up emergency shelter. “It was hard for them to line up with the younger women,” 4 COMMUNITY FEATURE Angel Hurtado, Sherri Welch, Cynthia Miro and Lindi Sinton of Sinton Sanctuary at their office and resident dayroom in Denver. Sinton said. “They were pushed out of line and sometimes bullied. They’d be there with their walkers and their oxygen, and the staff hardly knew what to do.” Older women face challenges that many shelters are not equipped to address. Sinton Sanctuary specializes in serving women 60 and older. Shelter modifications include taller toilets and lower beds. At the walk-in shelter, Sinton and Hurtado reserved cots for older women. But they knew the women wanted something different. “We said we will never do mats on the floor,” Sinton said. When a visitor walks into Sinton Sanctuary, they’re greeted by calm and quiet. “It’s calm, it’s comfortable, it’s colorful, it has a good vibe,” Sinton described. The space is small, which is intentional, to help older women feel more comfortable in a living situation that’s new for most of them. Some have never been homeless; they were priced out of their homes. As seniors, they rely on Social Security income that
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