Tag: homelessness
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New report: Homelessness growing in El Paso County, No. 1 rate in Colorado
Homelessness in El Paso County grew between 2024 and 2025 at a rate faster than any other part of Colorado, according to a new statewide report released Monday. The second annual, industry-produced Colorado’s State of Homelessness Report 2025 shows 7,078 people countywide were counted as homeless at some point last year. That’s a 4.3% jump…
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Colorado Cost of Living: State is now 4th most expensive in U.S., and residents feel the strain
Think of Colorado and what comes to mind? Majestic mountain views; skiing, sledding, rafting, hiking and more in the Great Outdoors; alpine forests and golden plains; ample sunshine, craft beer and breathtaking sunsets. Just to scratch the surface. But the cost of living and housing affordability in Colorado has drastically increased in recent years, gradually…
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Federally funded homelessness agency changes hands, to be led by Colorado Springs and United Way
Two well-known entities will assume oversight and administration of a regional homelessness agency as of July 1, the board of the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care voted on March 18. The membership of the federally funded agency ratified the decision on Tuesday. Pikes Peak United Way and the city of Colorado Springs will become leaders…
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Two specialized Colorado Springs police teams unite to address homelessness
Two specialized units within the Colorado Springs Police Department, which for years have been patrolling concentrated areas of the city for issues pertaining to homelessness, have merged and been re-tasked, according to Lt. Ryan Tepley, who oversees the new Peak Station Unit. The Homeless Outreach Team and the Downtown Area Response Team were combined on Feb. 1, he said. The resulting…
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Home health care agency for mental and physical conditions expands from Colorado Springs to Denver
A model of home health care that’s relatively new to Colorado — in which skilled nursing is delivered regularly in homes, homeless shelters and elsewhere for patients who have multiple physical and mental illnesses — is expanding from serving two counties in southern Colorado to encompass four more counties long the Front Range. Innovive Health, founded…
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PERSPECTIVE: Housing alone isn’t enough to solve homelessness
The White House recently took an important step toward rethinking America’s approach to homelessness. An executive order signed by President Trump last year directs federal housing funds to support a broader set of interventions beyond the long-dominant “Housing First” model. This shift is long overdue — and it should be reinforced and codified into law by Congress. New nationwide data now…
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Final vote confirms car camping ban in Colorado Springs
In the name of protecting public health, safety and sanitation, Colorado Springs City Council finalized on Tuesday a months-long debate over whether to ban car camping on public property within city limits. The 7-2 approval of the second reading of the proposal – the same vote as the first reading on Feb. 24 – consolidates…
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Motel model where ‘hospitality meets humanity’ aims for communal impact in Colorado Springs
Some guests of Modern Motel in downtown Colorado Springs are waiting for court dates on evictions, child custody cases or misdemeanor charges. Other extended stayers recently moved to the region and haven’t found an apartment they can afford and aren’t sure what to do. A few have fled domestic violence, and some come from the…
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Vehicle camping now illegal in Colorado Springs, City Council decides after another impassioned session
After listening to another lengthy and impassioned round of opposition Tuesday, the Colorado Springs City Council voted 7-2 to adopt a new municipal ordinance that makes living in a vehicle illegal on public property. The law combines existing ordinances that ban overnight urban camping near waterways, along trails, in city parks and other public places…
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The Salvation Army to reopen more family beds at its emergency shelter
After announcing in early November that The Salvation Army’s El Paso County branch had raised enough money to reopen five of the 16 homeless shelter units for families that the organization had temporarily closed by Oct. 1 due to financial problems, it’s taken nearly three months to get enough people hired to do so, officials…