COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A day after the Colorado Springs City Council preliminarily passed a ban on all camping on public property community organizations are preparing for the fallout.
City council passed the ban on first reading Tuesday night. The ordinance will still have to pass a second reading in front of council.
Now the Srings Rescue Mission is preparing to help those who don't want to take their chances with the new ordinance and are ready to leave the camps. They say they will go out and contact the campers in person and let them know there are alternatives. And they will expand their capacity to serve the homeless.
The Springs Rescue Mission has an action plan to offer immediate services to the campers who could be forced out by the new camping ban. They want to offer their 12- to 18-month program to any of the homeless campers who might be interested.
“It's a very holistic program that we can offer them that can give them some value and just a different direction with where they might be able to move in their life," said Springs Rescue Mission director of programs Lyn Harwell.
And in order to help more people, the organization is expanding its capacity.
"We had some single rooms and because of the need and the height of awareness of what’s going on, we're going to make those two-man rooms," said Harwell.
Part of the plan is to go into the camps in person and educate the people there about the mission.
And for that they will enlist a man who knows life on the streets first-hand.
"I lost my job due to my drinking and was subsequently kicked out of place and had no place to go so I went to the streets," said David Hart.
Hart is now ready to graduate the rescue mission's program. He says freedom from responsibility is what attracts some to the homeless lifestyle.
"They can basically do whatever they want whenever they want and they like that, they enjoy that I did," Hart said.
But like him, some of these people may be tired of life on the streets and ready for a change.
"I am hoping that there are going to be at least a few that we can bring in and subsequently help," Hart said.
The head of the rescue mission says there is no one cause of homelessness and no one solution. But the staff hopes they can help those who are looking for a way out.
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Original story
Springs Rescue Mission to add beds for the homeless
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