Homeless camps in west Colorado Springs shut down as colder weather approaches

After we reported neighbors’ concerns about homeless camps in west Colorado Springs earlier this month , the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office sent crews Wednesday morning to clear out three sites near 31st Street and Colorado Avenue.

The bridge at the intersection is owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation, but no one is legally allowed to camp there; an adjacent bridge leading to an RV Park is owned by the county.

At 9 a.m., CDOT provided a front-end loader an a dump truck, and trash pickup was done by Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful.

Crews removed two dump trucks full of debris after four hours of work.

“We’re seeing a 50 percent increase in homeless camps and they’re getting larger,” said Dee Cunningham, KCSB’d executive director. “We’ve tried to leave trash cans the camps, but they get turned into fire pits and destroyed.”

(PHOTOS -> Homeless camp at 31st Street cleared out )

After neighbors raised complains about noise and trash at the encampments, the Sheriff’s Office told KRDO it had plans to clear them out and remove large amounts of trash and debris.

“We posted notices giving 48 hours advance warning,” said Lt. Bill Huffor. “After that, anyone on the properties can be cited for trespassing, littering or violating the anti-camping ordinance.”

Deputies and private security guards ensured the eviction and cleanup proceeded smoothly.

Three people were still in the process of moving out when crews arrived; one of them was Paul Heimbuch, 53.

“I’ve been under the (31st Street) bridge for seven or eight months,” he said. “I guess I’ll find another campsite and hope I don’t get kicked out of there. A lot of us can’t get into shelters. And on cold nights, they’re full. I understand the county is just doing its job. But by doing that, they’re depriving me of my freedom to go wherever I want.”

Heimbuch and another man who lived under the bridge with their two cats, placed their belongings in a pile nearby along Fountain Creek. They befriended a couple living at the RV park who offered to temporarily place some of their belongings in storage.

Bruce Frazier was one of the helpers.

“Some people say we’re enabling the homeless by helping them,” he said. “I sort of agree with that, because the homeless have a responsibility to better themselves. But many of them really do need help. People should be compassionate.”

Bill, an RV park resident, said he and many neighbors are glad to see the cleanup.

“It just didn’t look good, all the trash and people loitering,” he said. “I wish someone could find a place for the homeless to stay together.”

One nearby restaurant manager said her store has lost business because of loitering and aggressive panhandling by the homeless.

“I’ve hired some of the homeless,” she said. “And some of those I hired have improved their lives and are no longer homeless. And that’s just with a minimum wage job. I think more of them should be doing that.”

The manager said the restaurant’s owner plans to install a fence behind the business to reduce loitering ad trespassing.

“But the restaurant next door did the same thing and the homeless just dug under the fence and crawled back and forth,” she said.

Huffor said it’s only a matter of time before homeless people return to living under the bridges.

“If I were to guess, I’d say it’ll take less than a week,” he said. “And if not by these same people, then by another group.”

With the camps shut down, El Paso County engineers visited the RV park bridge to consider plans for replacing it with a new bridge.