PUEBLO – Plans are in the works to open a permanent homeless shelter in Pueblo and if all goes well it could be up and running just in time for winter.
Pueblo City Councilman Mark Aliff told News 5 on Monday that hopefully the location of the shelter will be revealed within the next 10 days. An appraisal of the property has been ordered, but negotiations still need to happen.
Aliff said, “We’re a month or two away from real cold weather and we just have to have something. It’s the humane thing to do.”
The city had a shelter, the Pueblo Rescue Mission, that was operating on 13th Street. However, the temporary warming shelter shut down in June.
Aliff said, “There were some problems in the neighborhood there. The neighbors decided that they didn’t want it there and they petitioned…came to city council, and asked us to revoke the permit that they had to work there.”
Since then, Aliff has been holding community forums and searching for a permanent shelter location. He said one has recently been identified that he believes will work for everyone.
“It’s centrally located, several acres. There’s plenty of room. There’s room for a courtyard, multiple agencies to provide services there, and I think that the public will be very happy with the location.”
The Pueblo Rescue Mission, another key player in helping the homeless, said, “We continue to stand by and are looking forward to partnering with the city to open the doors of a new shelter.”
Aliff said once the shelter location is revealed there will be a public hearing to get the community’s input. The goal is to have the shelter opened by November 1.
