Colorado Springs amends homeless plan to pay for more shelter beds

As the weather starts to cool down, a plan for the hundreds of homeless people in Colorado Springs is more important than ever.

Mayor John Suthers announced a campaign he launched earlier this year is getting a big change, one that hopes to increase the number of beds available to the homeless population.

The HelpCOS campaign will get four new billboards that look similar to the signs many have seen along busy intersections. The message is simple: “Handouts Don’t Help.”

The campaign was launched in May and gave drivers number to text with monetary donations and more information on the homeless problem in the city.

Over the course of the last five months, the city has raised about $1,000.

Originally those funds were set to be distributed once a year to resources and organizations who help the homeless in Colorado Springs. Now, the funds will solely go to the Springs Rescue Mission and The Salvation Army.

At a press conference today, Mayor Suthers said, “giving to panhandlers is simply not a constructive way to address this problem. You’re much better off giving to The Salvation Army and [Springs] Rescue Mission that are actually dealing with the problem, providing services and things like that.”

While the campaign hasn’t brought in much money, Suthers hopes this continues to keep the issue at the forefront of people’s minds.

A big push now is increasing the number of beds available to those who need a place to sleep. In total, the city hopes there are 670 beds between the two shelters by Dec. 1.