The Gathering Place was founded in 1986 by two graduate students, Toni Schmid and Kathy Carfrae, who were both students at the University of Denver, School of Social Work. As part of their university studies, they were both also interning at various homeless shelters in the Denver area. 

Each morning, they observed that homeless women and children had to leave the safety of the shelter and return to the harsh realities of the streets. Schmid and Carfrae came to believe that women and children needed a safe place to go during the day. With a $6,000 grant, the two women created The Gathering Place on Santa Fe Drive. The one-room facility offered warmth, protection from the streets, and nutritious meals to women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty. At that time, approximately 40 women a day visited TGP. 

In 1990, The Gathering Place moved to its current location at 1535 High Street. From 2000 to 2005, visits to TGP increased by 62%, with an average of 250-350 women and children seeking emergency services each day. 

In August 2006, demolition and construction began on a new 28,800 square foot building, which was specifically designed to be a safe refuge and provide adequate space for TGP programs and services. From August 2006 to June 2007, The Gathering Place’s programs and services were temporarily housed at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church (1980 Dahlia Street) in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood. Construction on the new building was completed in September of 2007 and The Gathering Place is currently operating out of this state-of-the-art facility located at 1535 High Street. Today we provide programs and services to an average of 350-400 women and children Monday through Friday.