Pueblo Rescue Mission responds to accusations they are in breach of city contract
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham told KRDO13 on March 19 that the Pueblo Rescue Mission has not been housing people at the Porchlight Warming Shelter since Thanksgiving. She went on to say that the shelter is in breach of its contract.
Graham claims they had a broken sewer line and were unable to house people because there were no bathroom facilities.
Prior to this, the rescue mission was struggling with limited capacity and would often fill up on harsh winter nights. That's when the city bought the new building at a cost of nearly $400,000.
The Pueblo Rescue Mission released a statement addressing these accusations.
They say that the organizations servicing the unhoused population have recently been pitted against one another through competition for the community's limited resources.
The Mission says that they submitted a proposal in response to the City's request for a permanent warming shelter. The City awarded the Mission federal Community Development Block Grant – Corona Virus Funds to purchase and make improvements on a building we occupied and held a purchase option on. The Mission's vision is to utilize the space as a permanent emergency shelter and facility for coordinating day-to-day wrap-around services (i.e., community health clinic, legal clinic, and soup kitchen/food pantry).
According to the Mission, staff, and board were subject to intense criticism during the award process. The Mission says that some of this criticism is legitimate, and they take full responsibility for any deficiencies in the Mission's services or our failure to meet the community's expectations.
However, they claim that the other portion of criticism originated from the current climate of competition for the community's limited resources.
The Mission says that they understand and share City officials' frustration over the unforeseeable accident that has prohibited our ability to open our new building per our vision, but they sincerely disagree with the City's characterization that the Mission has in any way breached the subrecipient agreement.
According to the Mission, the subrecipient agreement was not fully executed until February 2024; therefore, the first report on services provided is not due until April 2024. Per the agreement, until the facilities are repaired, the Mission has been opening up its existing shelter space during warming emergencies. To comply with federal regulations, the Mission has had to go through an open procurement process for repairs and space improvements. These factors contributed to the delay in opening the new building and performing the services contemplated in the Mission's vision.
The Mission says that the City has just undergone a procurement process and chose the Mission as its partner for the warming shelter. Instead of alleging wrongdoing, the Mission says that they stand ready to work with the City, County, and other service providers to maximize the availability and effectiveness of the services in Pueblo. The Pueblo community will require a broad and diverse set of services and organizations to solve involuntary homelessness.
The full statement released by the Pueblo Rescue Mission can be read below.
