COLORADO SPRINGS – The city of Colorado Springs is planning to reach out to the homeless community before conducting a cleanup of the “Quarry” camp southeast of downtown.
The City of Colorado Springs, together with the Colorado Springs Police Department, have coordinated an outreach event aimed at connecting individuals experiencing homelessness with local non-profits which offer shelter, counseling, health care and mental or substance abuse assistance. Local non-profits will team up with the city to conduct an outreach event at the so-called Quarry camp Wednesday. The groups will seek to offer those at the camp shelter and other homeless services and benefits. City officials have posted notices at the camp that the cleanup will be conducted on December 11th.
Among the non-profits providing outreach on Wednesday are the Salvation Army and the Springs Rescue Mission, which are working together to add a combined 320 additional low barrier shelter beds. The Rescue Mission’s 150 new beds will open on December 10th.
Other non-profits participating are Aspen Pointe, Catholic Charities, Coalition for Compassion and Action, the Community Health Partnership, the El Paso County Department of Human Services, Homeward Pikes Peak, Peak Vista, RMHS Homes for All Veterans, Urban Peak and Westside Cares.
Andrew Phelps, homelessness outreach and prevention coordinator for the City of Colorado Springs says,
“We are fortunate in Colorado Springs to have a number of well-qualified agencies that are prepared to offer services that can make a difference. I’ve said before that camping is not a safe or dignified option, nor is it a legal one. By connecting the campers at the Quarry with qualified service providers, we hope we can get people out of the elements and connect them with services that can actually set them on the path to permanent housing.”
Also, in the wake of the announcement from the State Health Department, the El Paso Department of Public Health will be in attendance offering Hepatitis A vaccinations to anyone who may have been exposed to the virus, which has recently appeared in the community.
