Town of Colorado Springs’ first homelessness prevention specialist has been tapped to develop into the primary to fill an analogous place within the governor’s workplace.
Andy Phelps will go away his job of practically 5 years on June 3 because the homelessness prevention and response coordinator for Mayor John Suthers and begin June 6 as particular adviser on homelessness and housing to Gov. Jared Polis.
Andy Phelps is headed to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’ workplace to assist lower homelessness statewide.
In the identical approach that Phelps has acted as town’s liaison with homeless shelters, soup kitchens, housing companies and different service organizations that assist transfer individuals from homelessness again into housing and stability in life, Phelps will work because the state’s liaison with native communities, Polis mentioned in a cellphone interview.
One cause Phelps was chosen for the put up, the governor mentioned, is that Colorado Springs is without doubt one of the few cities within the state the place homelessness has decreased lately.
“Homelessness has develop into a a lot greater challenge throughout the state, and we wished to study from cities like Colorado Springs,” Polis mentioned.
Considered one of Colorado Springs’ largest accomplishments is that the variety of chronically unsheltered individuals dwelling outdoors, in vehicles or empty buildings has dropped by practically half since Phelps joined town employees in 2017.
“That goes to indicate when a group comes collectively and is targeted on engaged on an issue, nice issues can occur,” Phelps mentioned. “With out the management of Mayor Suthers and former Metropolis Council President Richard Skorman, we might not have seen the success of our homeless initiative.”
Former Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach created a plan in 2014 to scale back homelessness, and Phelps rolled out a brand new initiative in 2019, which he mentioned has met each aim.
New applications comparable to a group housing fund for homeless veterans, avenue outreach by town’s hearth division, giving homeless individuals jobs cleansing avenue medians via town’s Public Works Operations and Upkeep division, and offering common video court docket periods for homeless who’ve minor authorized instances are among the many new initiatives.
Colorado Springs additionally lately has added extra low-barrier shelter beds for a complete of practically 750; streamlined and expanded help applications; created extra transitional and inexpensive housing items; fortified the Police Division’s avenue outreach; enacted ordinances banning tenting on public property and alongside rivers; coordinated continuous cleanups of unlawful camps; enforced a no-loitering coverage; and ticketed individuals panhandling on medians, which is taken into account a security hazard.
Metropolis leaders suppose the steps have helped lower the rely of unsheltered individuals who sleep outdoors, in vehicles or empty buildings, which dropped by 19% to 358 in 2020 over 2019, the newest statistic obtainable for that inhabitants.
The unsheltered, or what are thought-about chronically homeless individuals, additionally decreased by 13% in 2019 over 2018.
Individuals staying in emergency shelters or transitional housing items in El Paso County is also declining. Throughout an annual head rely for Division of Housing and City Growth funding functions, town noticed a lower of 14% in January 2021 over 2020 for a complete of 1,156 individuals.
Conversely, the variety of first-time homeless individuals in metro Denver practically doubled final 12 months over 2020, the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative reported in January.
Outcomes from this 12 months’s homeless rely that was carried out in February in Colorado Springs haven’t but been launched, however Suthers alluded to town’s downward pattern persevering with, significantly of continual homelessness, throughout a current tour of an inexpensive housing advanced underneath development.
“I feel Colorado Springs has had a extra profitable strategy to lowering homelessness than Denver and different cities, having somebody acquainted with finest practices,” Polis mentioned.
That’s to not say Colorado Springs has solved homelessness, by any means, he mentioned.
“It has an extended method to go,” Polis mentioned. “Nevertheless it hasn’t gotten any worse, and we wish different cities to emulate that.”
Issues associated to homeless individuals stay one of many high complaints Colorado Springs receives from residents, in keeping with the discount plan.
Whereas metropolis and county leaders set insurance policies on problems with homelessness of their communities, “the state can play a job” in serving to lower its prevalence, Polis mentioned.
Colorado ranked poorly within the nation within the 2021 Annual Report on Homeless Evaluation Report back to Congress.
Colorado had the most important share improve within the nation of chronically homeless individuals since 2007, in keeping with the report, and in addition registered the second-largest improve in homelessness amongst households with kids between 2020 and 2021.
Polis mentioned he desires to see extra drug and alcohol therapy applications throughout the state, together with extra beds for homeless residents and “not permitting unsafe situations on streets.”
State lawmakers handed a three-bill package deal Polis introduced in April to allocate $200 million of federal pandemic reduction funds to create a statewide grant program for homeless companies and construct two homeless restoration campuses within the metro Denver space.
Phelps will work on these initiatives, Polis mentioned.
The governor mentioned he determined so as to add the brand new place that Phelps is filling in his workplace due to the supply of COVID-relief cash.
“We wish to cut back homelessness and make Colorado secure,” Polis mentioned, including that his aim is for Colorado to develop into one of many 10 most secure states within the nation over the subsequent 10 years.
Phelps mentioned it is time for a change in his life.
“After 5 years on the metropolis and the progress we have made, I’m prepared for a brand new problem and excited to work with the group on the governor’s workplace,” he mentioned.
At a Might 20 membership assembly of Pikes Peak Continuum of Care, a consortium centered on homelessness, Phelps thanked native leaders who work within the subject for his or her help and assist in serving to Colorado Springs obtain its targets.
“He’s completed quite a lot of nice issues and assisted town with many homeless initiatives,” mentioned Alison Gerbig, Colorado Springs program supervisor for Rocky Mountain Human Providers’ Houses for All Veterans and the continuum of care’s board chair.
“An enormous shout out to him for serving us and now transferring on to work with the governor,” she mentioned.
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