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EL PASO COUNTY, COLO. -- The sole detox center for El Paso County's homeless will close its doors in less than two months.

Officials with The Lighthouse said they have no choice--they are out of money.

The Lighthouse is a Pikes Peak Mental Health program that provides about 20 beds per night for the county's homeless drunks who need a safe place to sleep until sober.

The facility also gives them access to counseling, as well as options for treating alcoholism.

Officials with Pikes Peak Mental Health said The Lighthouse mainly works with the county's chronically homeless, most of whom are addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Experts said Colorado Springs already has the third worst drinking problem in the nation with the lowest number of detox beds per capita.

With The Lighthouse closing, officials warned things will get rough, but they said there is nothing they can do.

"Last year in 2007, El Paso County had to cut its contribution to the detox program because of overall budget issues within the county," Joe Michaels said.

Michaels, with The Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, said The Lighthouse also receives funds from the city's two major hospitals along with local law enforcement agencies and other groups, but he said it is not enough.

Michaels added The Lighthouse's annual operating budget is $3 million.

"The program has been underfunded since its origination by about $1.4 million, so that was funding that Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group was making up through fundraising and a variety of other means," Michaels said.

He said the failure of Initiative 1A only made things worse.

"That would have been a band-aid to at least keep the detox program going as is for the foreseeable future," Michaels said.

The Lighthouse also provides acute in-patient health care and Michaels said that program will remain.

He said they hope to have an alternative detox center established by February 2, the day after The Lighthouse closes.

Michaels said they cannot reduce their services as an alternative because it would hurt the agency's accreditation.

"A lower, less intensive form of detox, the social detox and sobering beds, which does not require the level of care from a provider stand-point, to a place they come, sober up and leave the next day," Michaels said.

Bob Holmes with Homeward Pikes Peak said he is worried about the impacts The Lighthouse's closing will have on the community, especially taxpayers.

"You are talking about $550,000 more to send people to the emergency room, so the taxpayers will end up paying that," Holmes said. "Plus we then do not have a chance to reach out to those individuals."

Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services sent a statement regarding the closure of The Lighthouse this afternoon.

The statement said officials are concerned about the closure of the Pikes Peak detoxification center.

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