COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - An annual survey has shown that the homeless population in El Paso County has decreased 29%, a five-year low for the Colorado county.
The Point in Time survey was conducted the last week of January by a working group tasked with ending homelessness and found that 1,116 people identified as homeless compared to a countywide high of 1,562 last year, The Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
“That’s a pretty substantial decrease and a five-year low,” said Andy Phelps, homeless prevention and response coordinator for the city of Colorado Springs.
People who self-identified as homeless said they were sleeping in shelters, vehicles, camps, abandoned buildings or temporary transitional housing. About 358 out of the more than 1,000 were considered “unsheltered” or living outside, a 30% decrease compared to 2018’s high of 513.
Communities that receive federal funding must conduct the annual census, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The survey depicts the most comprehensive look into homelessness in the region but likely undercounts the actual number since participation is voluntary.
The reason for the decrease is “difficult to pinpoint exactly,” Phelps told the Colorado Springs Planning Commission on Wednesday. But could be contributed to multiple efforts by the county to provide more options for people, he said.
For example, Colorado Springs opened a family shelter and added 150 “low barrier” beds at another shelter, meaning people do not have to be sober or in a recovery program to stay there overnight.
Colorado Springs now has an average of 110 empty shelter beds each night, compared to 37 in 2018, Phelps said.
“That shows we have an adequate amount of low-barrier shelter in our community; no one is forced to survive outside,” he said, adding that efforts have helped reduce winter deaths and have helped authorities enforce no-camping bans.
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