Boulder Shelter CEO out after three months
Friday, Jan. 20, 2023
The newly appointed head of Boulder Shelter for the Homeless has left the nonprofit after just three months. Michael Block, formerly head of housing for the shelter, has been named interim CEO.
Greg Morris was named as the Shelter’s CEO in September of last year. Morris previously worked in homeless services in New Mexico and Idaho, and headed Idaho’s ACLU. He started the job in Boulder on Oct. 3, 2022.
Morris took over from Spencer Downing, who served as interim CEO for just over a year after longtime director Greg Harms resigned amid reports of a rift with the board. At the time, Shelter officials said they were planning a rebrand and refocusing of their mission to prioritize housing.
It’s unclear when or why Morris left. The Shelter’s website lists Block as the interim CEO, but otherwise contains no information.
Shelter officials put out a two-paragraph statement Friday morning, following Boulder Beat‘s reporting of the turnover. It said Block will serve concurrently as director of housing and CEO, and that the nonprofit “will launch a national search for new
leadership in the coming weeks.”
It also included a prepared statement from board chair Sarah Meshak: “Since joining the Shelter’s staff in 2007, Mike has been an indispensable member of our team at the Boulder Shelter, and we are grateful that he has agreed to serve in this interim role. We are grateful to Mike and our entire organization for their continued leadership and compassionate service to our most vulnerable
populations during this period of transition.”
The board chair when Morris was hired was Bobby Pelz. It is unclear if he termed out or is still on the board of directors. Request for comment was emailed to Pelz; this story will be updated with his response.
Turnover at one of Boulder’s largest service providers comes as the city is seeking an operator for a to-be-established daytime services center. Boulder Shelter for the Homeless closes during daytime hours, except in extreme weather.
This article has been updated to include statements from the Boulder Shelter
— Shay Castle, @shayshinecastle or on Mastodon at toot.bldrweb.org/@shayshinecastle
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There has needed to be a seismic shakeup in leadership at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless since at least 2008, when I first became aware of the facility after moving to Colorado. And I’d include the board of directors along with staff . . .
Bottom line: More homeless people in Boulder, CO than ever before (and attempts to count them each January are NOT at all accurate). It seems obvious to me that BSH’s shifting focus on strategies to “end homelessness” is just one failure after another.