PUEBLO — As temperatures drop across southern Colorado, Pueblo's Relief Shelter is preparing to welcome more people seeking warmth and safety during the cold winter months.
The Pueblo Relief Shelter, formerly known as the Emergency Warming Center, now operates every night regardless of temperature thanks to a new city council ordinance. In previous years, the mayor had to issue an emergency weather declaration to open the warming shelter only during the coldest conditions.
"We know we're going to need to open up to provide services to keep people from freezing," said Sarah Money. Sarah is the Executive Project Manager at the Pueblo Shelter and works with Safeside Recovery, the organization that operates the Pueblo Shelter and Relief Center.
The Relief Shelter can accommodate up to 90 people with separate overnight rooms for men and women. Money said that last year, on some of the coldest nights, an average of 70 people came to the shelter for a warm place to stay.
"We want to make sure that people have the resources they need to keep themselves safe," Money said.
Patrick Liptrap, who has spent several nights at the shelter, knows firsthand how difficult it is to survive in the cold weather.
“Inside of the warming shelter you have people fighting trying to survive through the day.” I call it basically survival through the day,” Liptrap said. "Some of the nicest people turn into the meanest people when it's cold. That's something I've learned.”
He described the shelter as essential for survival.
"Actually having a stable place to come instead of taking a chance of freezing all night, I mean, that's all options that you have to take," Liptrap said.
The Relief Shelter is currently open each day from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning, though Money said they will be adjusting the hours soon.
"We'll make sure that everyone in the community is aware it'll likely be 7 to 7, but again, it's going to come down to the weather," Money said.
The shelter aims to have a peer support specialist, clinician and case manager onsite to help people who are unhoused take their next steps toward stability.
"By offering the relief shelter, our hope is that individuals are able to take care of that one basic need, having a safe roof over their head and staff looking out for them, and then start to take the next steps," Money said.
Liptrap took that next step and joined Safeside's residential program, which offers a place to stay, peer guidance and support groups.
"Better structure, discipline, life skills, being able to make the proper judgments, the proper calls," Liptrap said.
The program has helped him avoid falling back into old patterns.
"If you actually pay attention, you learn and you actually put it into practice, it gives you the chance to not fall back into old patterns, it gives you a chance to move forward," Liptrap said.
For Liptrap, coming to the Pueblo Shelter has provided more than just warmth and safety, it has helped him find a job.
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