Colorado Springs considering spending $500,000 on more shelter for homeless population

More bed space could be on the way for the homeless population in Colorado Springs.

The city is considering spending half a million dollars to expand a shelter that would be open to those who have used drugs or alcohol that day.

The $500,000 would fund a total of 370 low barrier bed space in the city. The beds would be split up, with 150 at Springs Rescue Mission and 220 at The Salvation Army.

The “low-barrier” classification would be a change in policy at the Salvation Army’s Sierra Madre location.

“We’ll do everything we can to feed them, be neighborly to them and love them care for them as we’ve always done,” Salvation Army El Paso County Coordinator, Capt. David Kauffman said.

Should the money be approved, bed space could open up as soon as November, with the full project finished in early 2019.