Pueblo searching for new homeless shelter location

It’s a no-go for a homeless shelter location in Pueblo, so the city is having to start over to try and find a permanent spot for people who have nowhere to sleep at night.

The shelter was supposed to go at the Bargain Box building in the 300 block of East 4th St. with an additional building on N. Chester Ave.

“We want to create a campus with multiple services all in one location, much like Colorado Springs is doing now,” Pueblo City Council member Mark Aliff said.

It’s bad news for the people that needed it, but neighbors in the area, like Better Rate Transmissions owner Jim Neighbours, are grateful.

“It would have damaged downtown Pueblo, it would have destroyed my business, it would have destroyed the Sweeny business,” Neighbours said. “We’re elated that they’re not going to put the homeless shelter right here.”

The Sweeny Feed Mill owner, Daniel Carson is happy about the decision too.

“I have investors coming in and building,” Carson said. “This was kind of putting a hole in our armor a little bit, but now we’ll move ahead.”

Aliff said the Bargain Box location is just too expensive to get up and running as a homeless shelter, adding the building on Chester Ave. is also in a flood zone.

“That restricts the operator’s ability to get grants federally and from the state, it just became a property that wasn’t conducive to what our plan is,” Aliff said.

Aliff recognizes many feel like Neighbours and Carson do, who don’t want the permanent or warming shelter close by.

“That makes it tough, it’s hard to find that perfect place and obviously we haven’t been able to do that yet,” Aliff said. “I know it’s out there.”

Aliff said City Council, City Staff, and the community are working to find a warming shelter location and hoping to open that by mid-December.

But the permanent location could take more time.