- hello@flagshelter.org
- 4185 E. Huntington Dr, Flagstaff, AZ 86004
- 928-225-2533
The Crown is Flagstaff Shelter Services’ second shelter site and first hotel-to-housing project. Located on Route 66, this 58-unit property opened in April 2022 to offer non-congregate shelter to families, seniors, and medically vulnerable individuals. At this site, shelter guests receive all the same services as guests of our Huntington shelter, including nutritious meals, hygiene supplies, clothing, shoes, onsite physical and behavioral health services, and housing case management.
Overall, we have gotten a lot of positive support from the Flagstaff community. We are pursuing historic preservation funding to create a facility and surrounding site the neighboring community can be proud of. There have been some concerns about the future of the long-standing restaurant that has been in operation on site since the Crown Hotel’s origins. We are working with the family which operates the restaurant to provide support and flexibility to maintain their presence.
The expansion of our current Flagstaff Shelter Services facility in 2019 and the addition of the Crown site provide greater capacity for overnight shelter, medical and behavioral services for those experiencing homelessness. These facilities provide an alternative to those who would otherwise need to find such shelter in public spaces.
The adjacent area does currently provide some of the more affordable housing available in Flagstaff. We believe that the permanence and stability we help provide along the commercial corridor plus planned capital improvements and historic preservation to the site will help preserve, if not improve, the area’s value relative to the overall Flagstaff housing market.
During the pandemic, we coordinated the use of multiple hotels to provide emergency shelter to more than 200 people from groups who were the most susceptible to the virus — the elderly, immunocompromised and families with young children. It is far more efficient to focus on the needs of these groups in a facility where we have greater scheduling control. While a congregant (group) setting can be a more efficient use of space to provide services and shelter to a large segment of those experiencing homelessness, there is also a specific need for non-congregant shelter services among the elderly, immunocompromised and families with young children who need more privacy or specialized attention.
There simply was not sufficient space at the current site to expand to meet both capacity of need of those experiencing homelessness and the specific needs of the elderly, immunocompromised and families. We could accomplish both by acquiring the Crown site and were able to take advantage of federal and state funding specifically earmarked for repurposing a hotel site. We believe that the permanence and stability we help provide to the area plus planned capital improvements and historic preservation to the site will help bring welcome and needed improvements to the area.
The new Crown shelter site will focus on providing emergency shelter for the elderly, immunocompromised and families. The existing shelter site will continue to provide overnight shelter for all individuals experiencing homelessness regardless of sobriety or any other medical conditions so long as they do not present an immediate threat of harm to our staff or clients.
The new Crown hotel shelter site will focus on providing emergency shelter for the elderly, immunocompromised and families.
The Crown shelter site will provide added stability to a long-standing, busy commercial corridor along Route 66. The residential neighborhood behind the location should have no greater impact than was experienced from the previous hotel located there. In addition to the natural buffering the commercial corridor provides, we are planning to construct walls/fencing and plant landscaping to provide added buffering.
Yes, we will add staff and adjust staff scheduling so the Crown site, like our existing shelter site, will provide services to the elderly, immunocompromised and families experiencing homelessness. Staff will be onsite 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
For the time being, the Crown site will provide emergency shelter for the elderly, immunocompromised and families experiencing homelessness, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. During the pandemic, we coordinated the use of multiple hotels to meet the needs of more than 200 individuals from these groups who were the most susceptible to the virus. Longer term, we recognize that Flagstaff has a very concerning lack of affordable housing for all area residents. This is an even more dire situation for those experiencing homelessness. Pending additional funding, our vision is to continue to make capital improvements to the site and the commercial corridor and eventually to use the Crown hotel facility to provide transitional, permanent affordable housing for the population we serve.
The adjacent area does currently provide some of the more affordable housing available in Flagstaff. We believe that the permanence and stability we help provide along the commercial corridor plus planned capital improvements and historic preservation to the site will help preserve, if not improve, the area’s value relative to the overall Flagstaff housing market.
The Lantern is Flagstaff Shelter Services’ third shelter site and second hotel-to housing project. Located on Lucky Lane, this 103-unit property is expected to begin providing non-congregate shelter to adults experiencing homelessness in 2025. Over the past year, this property has undergone significant repairs and renovations to make it a safe place in which to care for our vulnerable neighbors for the long-term. We look forward to opening this third site soon!
The Lantern (103 units) was purchased in April 2023, and will open once vital renovations are complete. Once it does, this site will house adults (veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, medically vulnerable individuals, etc.), allowing The Crown to strictly serve families and meet a dire community need for safe family shelter. Like the Crown, The Lantern will provide on-site services and wrap-around-care, while serving to create pathways to housing permanency with minimal interventions.
With the success of The Crown as a non-congregate shelter for families, the elderly, and immunocompromised serving up to 150 individuals at any given time, we saw a need to expand our non-congregate motel to housing projects in order to serve more individuals within the community. The Lantern will expand this need by serving adult individuals and adult families (veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, medically vulnerable individuals, etc.), allowing The Crown to strictly serve families and meet a dire community need for safe family shelter.
Since its opening in 2022, the Crown has operated at maximum capacity serving families and elderly/immunocompromised, often with a waiting list. We quickly realized that another facility was needed to serve solely adults and adult families while providing more space for families with children. The 103 additional rooms will allow us to serve more people and tailor services at each location to the unique individual needs of adults at The Lantern, and families with Children at The Crown.
The new Lantern shelter site will focus on providing shelter for adults (veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, medically vulnerable individuals, etc.). The existing shelter site at Huntington will continue to provide overnight shelter for all individuals experiencing homelessness regardless of faith, sobriety, mental health, or any other medical conditions so long as they do not present an immediate threat of harm to our staff or clients.
The new Lantern hotel shelter site will focus on providing shelter for the adults and adult families (veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, medically vulnerable individuals, etc.).
Yes, we will add staff and adjust staff scheduling so the Lantern site, like the Crown, will provide services to the adults, adult families, veterans, survivors of domestic violence, seniors, medically vulnerable individuals, etc., experiencing homelessness. Staff will be onsite 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Flagstaff Shelter Services is the largest emergency shelter in Northern Arizona. We provide shelter and critical services to the most vulnerable members of our community and assist them in finding permanent housing. We move people out of homelessness for good.
Flagstaff Shelter Services is a qualified exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Flagstaff Shelter Services is an Equal Housing Opportunity provider
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