Shelters of Saratoga Breaks Ground on Permanent Code Blue Shelter, Launches Public Phase of $8 Million Capital Campaign

Blue, the Color of Hope Permanent Code Blue Shelter (1200 x 400 px)

A Permanent Home for Code Blue: Shelters of Saratoga Breaks Ground and
Launches Public Capital Campaign

Staff and volunteers of Shelters of Saratoga are shown at the Code Blue Groundbreaking Ceremony on
October 1, 2026 at 116 Ballston Ave

A new 75-bed shelter will provide a permanent home for Code Blue while creating greater access to services, stability and a path forward for neighbors experiencing homelessness.

On October 1, Shelters of Saratoga celebrated a milestone years in the making: we officially broke ground on a permanent home for our Code Blue program.

Community leaders, donors, partners and friends of SOS gathered at 116 Ballston Avenue in Saratoga Springs to mark the beginning of construction on the new 25,000-square-foot, 75-bed shelter and the launch of the public phase of Blue, the Color of Hope, our $8 million capital campaign.

For more than a decade, Code Blue has provided a safe place for people experiencing homelessness to come inside when winter temperatures become dangerous. But the program has operated from multiple temporary locations, requiring SOS to repeatedly adapt spaces for shelter operations.

The new facility changes that.

A permanent, purpose-built 75-bed shelter that combines safe winter accommodations with meals, hygiene facilities, case management, housing navigation and coordinated community services—all under one roof.

Building More Than a Shelter

Purpose-built for the needs of people experiencing homelessness, the new Code Blue shelter will provide safe, reliable winter shelter in an environment designed around dignity, safety and stability.

Plans include dedicated sleeping areas, accessible facilities, a commercial kitchen and space for case management, housing navigation and connections to other community resources.

“This groundbreaking represents years of persistence, partnership and a shared belief that our community can provide a safe and dignified response to homelessness,” said Stephanie Romeo, Executive Director of Shelters of Saratoga. “A permanent Code Blue shelter gives us the stability to focus our resources where they belong: on the people we serve and helping them move toward greater stability and independence.”

The facility will allow SOS to move beyond the challenges of establishing temporary shelter operations each winter and instead focus more fully on what matters most: helping people move from homelessness toward stability.

web-Stakeholders Group Code Blue Groundbreaking 10.1.2026

City, County, and State officials with SOS representatives and supporters of the project celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Code Blue Shelter at 116 Ballston Ave, Saratoga Springs on October 1, 2026.

Years of Partnership Made This Moment Possible

The groundbreaking represents the culmination of years of collaboration among Shelters of Saratoga, Saratoga County, the City of Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation, community partners and private supporters.

SOS has provided Code Blue services for more than 11 years and has held the formal Saratoga County contract for the program since 2017.

Saratoga County separately invested approximately $3 million to acquire the Ballston Avenue property, removing one of the most significant barriers to establishing a permanent location.

“Today marks a major milestone in Saratoga County’s project to establish a permanent Code Blue shelter,” said Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Phil Barrett. “With this project, we are planning for the future and creating the opportunity for a more consistent, coordinated, cost effective, and accessible response for our most vulnerable neighbors when winter weather becomes dangerous.”

Blue, the Color of Hope

Breaking ground also marks the beginning of another important chapter: the public phase of Blue, the Color of Hope, the largest capital campaign in Shelters of Saratoga’s history.

The $8 million campaign will fund the design and construction of the permanent shelter. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of early donors and supporters, $4.3 million has already been raised—more than halfway to our goal.

Now, we are inviting the entire community to help us raise the remaining $3.7 million.

“For years, our community has come together each winter to make sure our neighbors have somewhere safe to go when temperatures become dangerous,” said Leona Beck, Capital Campaign Co-Chair. “Today, we are moving beyond a temporary solution and building something lasting. Raising $4.3 million before launching the public phase demonstrates the extraordinary commitment already behind this project. Now, we are asking the entire community to help us carry that momentum across the finish line.”

Learn More or Give a Gift

Help Us Build Hope

Construction is now underway, with the new shelter expected to open in November 2027.

There is still important work ahead—and everyone in our community has an opportunity to be part of it.

“Breaking ground is an extraordinary milestone, but our work is not finished,” Romeo said. “This next phase belongs to the entire community. Every gift at every level helps build a permanent place of safety, dignity and hope for our neighbors.”

Individuals, businesses and organizations can support Blue, the Color of Hope through outright gifts, multi-year pledges and other campaign commitments. Naming opportunities are also available for select rooms and program spaces.

To learn more about the campaign or make a gift, visit www.codebluesaratoga.org.

For more than three decades, Shelters of Saratoga has worked alongside this community to ensure our neighbors facing homelessness have access to safe shelter, supportive services and a path to independence.

Now, together, we are building a permanent place for that work to continue.