COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — January’s typical arctic blast arrived right on time this year, and overnight emergency shelters were ready.
Hope COS opened its temporary shelter in the gymnasium at The Sanctuary Church on Tuesday, as temperatures fell below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and have remained there since, said Joel Siebersma, director of mental and behavioral health integration for Hope COS.
Between 70 and 80 people have been spending the night on cots, he said, with the numbers to grow to more than 100 as temperatures were expected to remain in the single digits through the weekend. Other short-term locations also can open as needed, Siebersma said.
New this year, the city of Colorado Springs’ Mountain Metro Transit public bus system is offering free rides to shelters for homeless people and others who need a place to spend the night.
Springs Rescue Mission, the city’s primary homeless shelter campus, is expecting large crowds as well this weekend.
A total of 412 adult men and women spent the night Thursday night, according to spokesman Cameron Moix.
“Many of those stayed for daytime shelter and services on Friday,” he said.
Temperatures barely made it out of the single digits Friday in Colorado Springs with trace amounts of snow.
On Saturday, the National Weather Service in Pueblo forecasts a high near 12 degrees with wind chill values between minus-10 and zero. Between one and two inches of snow are expected.
Conditions don’t improve much Sunday, when a high near 20 is expected along with a 30% chance of snow.
Under the Pikes Peak region’s severe weather protocols, the rescue mission has “committed to the city to increase our capacity for times like these to 600 for overnight shelter, and will be ready to provide all the care we possibly can to those in need in our community,” Moix said.
The Salvation Army’s Family Hope Center, which provides emergency shelter to families, also is running at full speed.
Local shelters operate on a “low-barrier entry” model, in which people can come as they are and find a spot to spend the night indoors when temperatures fall below 20 degrees, even if they’ve been using drugs or alcohol. The substances are not allowed to be used on the premises, however, but often can be placed in secured areas for retrieval when clients leave.
Knives also cannot be taken into the sleeping quarters but can be stored safely until clients exit the shelter.
“January’s always January, we were kind of expecting this to come, since this has been the pattern for January for the last few years, where we have one or two extended periods of cold weather and we’re open for five to seven to 10 days in a row,” Siebersma said. “We were kind of waiting for that to happen, and it came this week.”
Donations of paper plates, plastic utensils, disposable coffee cups, breakfast items and snacks can be dropped off in the back of The Sanctuary Church at 1930 W. Colorado Ave.
IN THE MOUNTAINS
With five fresh inches of powder reported Friday and more forecast, Monarch Mountain west of Salida is hopeful the storm forecast to last through Saturday will bring enough snow to open its new 377 acres of terrain.
Monarch is opening up a new chairlift to the area called No Name Basin that will double the resort’s terrain, The Gazette reported previously.
The National Weather Service is predicting 5 inches of snow Saturday at Monarch as part of the ongoing storm that could last through Sunday. It is a welcome addition to the 21-inch base.
The Gazette's Debbie Kelley contributed to this web story.
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