COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The people FOX21 News spoke to who support a proposed ordinance against homeless people camping in the city limits say they aren’t against the homeless.

They just feel the current situation isn’t helping them. And an ordinance that would ban camping on all public property is the tough love the homeless need.

Some businesses along west Colorado Avenue have a unique view on the homeless issue. Some camps are just feet from the front doors of shops.

"We can't really say for sure that all of our problems that we are dealing with are caused by the homeless. We've had our buildings set on fire. We've had our doors kicked in, our telephone lines cut," said Robert Maez, president of the Avenue Merchants.

While FOX21 News talked with Maez, he had to clean up a pile of human feces that was left in front of his business.

But despite all that, Maez and the group of merchants he belongs to want to embrace the homeless.

"We're not going to go down there. We're not going to kick tents down. We're not going to chase people out with a baseball bat. We're going to show that kinder, gentler side of the business community," Maez said.

Even so,  Maez and the other merchants are in favor of an ordinance that will ban all camping on public property.

"The ordinance is a good thing at this time simply because we are allowing people to live in the worst conditions -- trash and the sickness, the chance of getting the e-coli virus," Maez said.

Maez has heard the argument that the compassionate thing to do is to leave the homeless alone.

"That’s the least compassionate thing you can do for these people," said Maez

"I don’t know that that is any more compassionate than the programs that say you have to walk the line in order to get in certain programs because accountability is such a huge deal for anyone to succeed," said homeless advocate James Dixon.          

Dixon is considered the top expert in the city on the homeless. He says the current situation with homeless camping and the community bringing them food, firewood and other necessities is hurting the people it's supposed to help.

He says misplaced compassion from the community is making the homeless too comfortable in their camps. He says they have no motivation to go to the community organizations that have the resources to lead them out of homelessness.

"If they don’t have a need to go to the different facilities throughout the city, then no, they will not know what’s available to them and how much is available," Dixon said.

Maez and Dixon both say a ban on camping would be a tool that could ultimately help these people who live on the fringes of our society.

"We feel that it's really important to push these people out of these camps and get them into the community resources that are available and get them the help that they really need," Maez said.

Many people on this side of the issue say we simply can't keep going this way.

Even with the incredible generosity of the community no one is prepared to take firewood and food to the camps 365 days a year.

Instead, they encourage those who want to help to give to the community organizations that can truly help the homeless find a permanent home.

_______________________________________________________

On the opposide side of the issue, FOX21 News reporter Brittney Hopper tells the story through a homeless person's everyday struggles and why he feels the issue needs to be thought through before passing this ordinance.

Imagine having to sleep outside when it's 20 degrees, waking up hungry and not having any food.

Now imagine being Bill Richardson, a man who calls his tent home, a man who often wakes up hungry, and a man who sleeps out in the cold.

“Believe me, it gets cold out here a lot of nights,” said Richardson.

Richardson lost his apartment and his job six months ago; he's made the best of life by making public land a place he can call home. The city will be deciding on a no-camping ordinance, ultimately kicking him out of a place he's called home for the past six months.

“They really don't have a solution, so what are they doing to fix the problem? I mean they put that ordinance in, then they're going to move them, then scatter them into the winds and then there's just going to be problems all over,” said Richardson.

Homeless camping isn't new to Colorado Springs but camping in the area along Monument and Fountain creeks began in the early summer of 2009. One of the main reasons why so many homeless campers are in this area is because it's closer to the soup kitchen, shelters and other resources.

Spending time with Richardson and how he deals with every day life, this reporter began to realize this campsite is a world within our civilized society. Walking 15 minutes from the soup kitchen to Richardson's camp site, he says hello to fellow campers. While sitting around the campfire, there's talk about current events -- such as the earthquake in Haiti and even the Superbowl. During our conversation, three people driving by yell at us saying, “Get a job, you lazy bums” -- something that makes Richardson angry.

“Go get a job? Okay where are these jobs? There's a lot of people out of work. Just last week a guy brought down a few things and he said he had just lost his job, so now he's going to unemployment and they're going to go paycheck to paycheck and you know what? When that runs out they might be getting a tent too,” said Richardson.

Richardson told FOX21 News word on the street is, if the ordinance passes, more beds will be opening up at shelters but he says what everyone is not saying, homeless shelters only allow a person to come in once every four months for only two weeks at a time.

So where do they go the other three and a half months? That's the question Richardson wants city council to answer. And that's also why Bill says so many homeless people have chosen this lifestyle -- a lifestyle that's anything but easy.

“Take a week's vacation, get a tent, leave your wallet at home and come down here and camp out for a week. Just see how easy and free of a ride it really is and let's just see how they deal with it all. I bet they won't like it a bit," Richardson said.

Richardson understands that the homeless camps aren't the best-looking for our city, but really what he's wanting is for city council to give the issue more time. And not rush the ordinance until more solutions are in place.

City council will vote on the issue Feb. 9.