Mayor Heather Graham holds a roundtable discussion about the no-camping ordinance
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Newly elected Pueblo mayor Heather Graham and more than 35 organization leaders met Thursday to discuss and address concerns related to a no-camping ordinance set in place on Monday, February 12.
“We had so many individuals come to testify against this ordinance and who feel strongly about how to address our homeless issue in Pueblo, so I wanted to invite the community in for an initial conversation,” said Mayor of Pueblo Heather Graham. “There’s room for us to amend this ordinance and help individuals in a more effective way than the current monetary penalty.”
The ordinance carries a $1,000 fine for anyone camping in a public space in Pueblo, and was set in place to prevent safety hazards in public spaces.
However, many leaders of area organizations say there are simply not enough warming shelters to get people off the streets during nights that dip below freezing, so many have no choice but to resort to a tent and sleeping bag.
Pueblo Rescue Mission Executive Director Melanie Rapier said that her facility can house up to 165 people during an emergency declaration. Normally, they can house around 90 people.
However, in 2023 the organization served 987 unique individuals, far more than what they could hold even in an emergency situation.
Two other shelters in Pueblo primarily serve women and children, a population that doesn't typically show up at the Pueblo Rescue Mission.
In total, Rapier estimates that the homeless population in Pueblo is around 1700 people.
However, for folks who don't fit inside the necessary "boxes" of the Pueblo Rescue Mission, Crazy Faith Ministries offers a solution that doesn't require bed space. Leaders there estimate they can house around 60 people on the floor of their building off Elizabeth on nights when the Mayor declares a weather emergency.
"We need more resources in town and [resources that are] easier to access because a lot of times when somebody is homeless, they'll be given a list and they will go to ten different places and they will be turned away," said Tammy Kainez with Crazy Faith Ministries.
Kainez says that every night, she gets dozens if not hundreds of calls asking if her shelter would be opening up for the night. Most of the time, the answer is no, because she simply doesn't have the resources to keep the shelter open when it's not an emergency.
"If we could get more funding or get some grants or get some more churches to help out, I think that we could do more," Kainez said.
During the roundtable, the group of over thirty non-profits and charities discussed possible solutions to the shortage of shelter. Some of the solutions presented were mobilized services to different areas of town, grant funding and a collaboration of resources.
In an email statement, Sgt. Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police said that they will "utilize discretion and empathy as they approach the issue." They also say they will be connecting individuals with the available resources.
