Springs city council approves plan to invest in Rescue Mission expansion

Colorado Springs City Council voted Tuesday to approve investing $2.5 million to expand the Springs Rescue Mission, which serves the homeless.

“When you’re homeless, a lot of the time we’re lost and confused. We don’t know which direction to go,” said Jim, a homeless man in Colorado Springs.

Jim says he’s been struggling to find help for eight years.

“There’s not enough transitional housing. There are places to go to stay warm for the night, but no place to go if you’re trying to work,” Jim said.

But plans for a massive makeover at the Springs Rescue Mission are in full swing.

Stu Davis, with the Springs Rescue Mission says the current 60-bed seasonal shelter will eventually become a 150 bed year-round shelter.

Davis says the expansion will also include a homeless day center, showers, laundry facilities and a large kitchen.

Project leaders agree that the upgrade is coming at a critical time.

“We’ve got a shelter that’s going away at the end of this season. That’s 150 beds that are not going to be available,” said Davis.

Davis adds that the Pedestrian Access Act, which prohibits people sitting and lying in downtown Colorado Springs, may also force some of the homeless to find a new place to go.

“If we’re writing tickets and issuing fines and telling people to move along, where are they going to go? That’s part of the urgency behind building this campus,” Davis said.

Project organizers say construction is expected to begin in May, with the additional beds becoming available by November 1.