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Colorado Springs Homeless Outreach Program could run out of money in 2023

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Colorado Springs Homeless Outreach Program could run out of money in 2023


Advocates for a Colorado Springs Fireplace Division staff that helps serve the wants of the native homeless inhabitants are hoping the town finds a extra steady funding supply for this system earlier than the grant presently financing it runs out subsequent 12 months. 

The fireplace division’s Homeless Outreach Program started in 2019. Its 4 member staff consists of paramedics and psychological well being staff who spend their days within the components of the town’s downtown most frequented by the unhoused. The HOP members present in-the-moment care and likewise join people with native sources.  

“When I’m out of my depth, I name the HOP staff,” mentioned Kristy Milligan, CEO of the Colorado Springs interfaith human companies group Westside Cares. 

“I’ll inform you that the HOP staff works with the folks which might be probably the most seen, which have probably the most intractable issues,” she mentioned.

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Milligan was one in all a number of residents who spoke in favor of the HOP staff throughout a current public listening to on the town’s proposed 2023 price range. This system would want to safe greater than $400,000 {dollars} yearly to proceed its work past subsequent June, when its grant funding dries up. 

Jerry White, advocacy committee chair for the native nonprofit Bike Colorado Springs, mentioned the HOP staff has been offering efficient intervention alongside the town’s downtown path hall, serving to preserve it secure and clear for all customers. It’s a path system the town has spent roughly $400 million {dollars} to create and preserve.

“Colorado Springs ceaselessly receives complaints in regards to the difficulties of utilizing our trails resulting from blockage and different security issues,” White mentioned. “We strongly encourage elevated funding for companies that contribute to the remediation of the issue.”

Metropolis council member Dave Donelson instructed these attending the listening to that the town’s Fireplace Chief Randy Royal didn’t listing the HOP staff as a funding precedence in his proposed price range for the division.

“He did not put it on there as one thing that must be funded by means of the overall fund. They suppose they will [continue to] get the cash by means of grants,” Donelson mentioned.

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Some Metropolis Council members have additionally recommended doable extra funding within the police division might be moved to the fireplace division to assist the HOP staff.

The Colorado Springs Police Division additionally has a separate Homeless Outreach Staff.

Town council will make its last determination on the 2023 price range in December.  



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These 16 new Colorado laws go into effect in July

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These 16 new Colorado laws go into effect in July


DENVER (KDVR) — Hundreds of bills were passed and signed into law during the 2024 Colorado legislative session, and over a dozen of these will go into effect on July 1.

The new laws range from a ban on residential occupancy limits to a ban on carrying guns in certain areas.

FOX31 has compiled a list of all the new laws going into effect soon.

Occupancy limits

House Bill 24-1007, “Prohibit Residential Occupancy Limits,” stops local governments from enforcing occupancy limits in most situations.

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This removes a decades-old law limiting how many members of different families can live together under one roof.

Gender-related crimes

Senate Bill 24-189, “Gender-Related Bias-Motivated Crimes,” adds gender identity and gender expression to the definition of what qualifies for a bias-motivated crime.

It also redefines sexual orientation when it comes to bias-motivated crimes.

Guns in sensitive spaces

Senate Bill 24-131, “Prohibiting Carrying Firearms in Sensitive Spaces,” bans people from carrying firearms in certain places.

Specifically, it prohibits people from knowingly carrying firearms in state legislative buildings, local government buildings and courthouses. The ban also extends to the parking lots of these spaces.

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Deepfakes of candidates for office

House Bill 24-1147, “Candidate Election Deepfake Disclosures,” requires the disclosure of the use of deepfakes, or fake images of other people created using artificial intelligence, in ads and other communications related to elections.

For example, if one candidate wanted to use a deepfake image or video of another candidate, they would have to disclose that.

False slates of presidential electors

House Bill 24-1150, “False Slates of Electors,” makes it an explicit crime to falsely create a slate of presidential electors or serve in a false slate of electors.

This would apply to five existing crimes, each of which is punishable by a maximum fine of $10,000.

Protecting victims of sexual offenses

House Bill 24-1072, “Protection of Victims of Sexual Offenses,” changes what evidence is allowed about alleged victims of sexual assault during criminal proceedings.

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Specifically, it prohibits any evidence of the victim’s manner of dress or hairstyle, among other things.

Other laws

Ten other laws are going into effect:

  • House Bill 24-1443, “Public Trustee Fees”
  • House Bill 24-1449, “Environmental Sustainability Circular Economy”
  • House Bill 24-1417, “Fee Changes Health-Care Cash Funds”
  • House Bill 24-1407, “Community Food Assistance Provider Grant Program”
  • House Bill 24-1411, “Increase in Property Tax Exemption Filing Fees”
  • House Bill 24-1360, “Colorado Disability Opportunity Office”
  • House Bill 24-1081, “Regulate Sale Transfer Sodium Nitrite”
  • House Bill 24-1056, “Issuance of Treasurer’s Deeds”
  • House Bill 24-1044, “Additional PERA Service Retirees for Schools”
  • House Bill 24-1030, “Railroad Safety Requirements”

The next group of laws passed during this year’s legislative session will go into effect on Aug. 7.



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Tatiana Bailey: Has Colorado Springs overbuilt apartments?

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Tatiana Bailey: Has Colorado Springs overbuilt apartments?


Many people have asked me about the plethora of new apartments in our region and if we’ve overbuilt. Most people have heard about the national and regional housing shortage, but they still wonder if we’ve overbuilt apartments and whether vacancy rates are going up.

The answer is nuanced. It is true that our region has a shortage of roughly 8,500 housing units, which includes both multifamily apartments and single-family homes. It is also true that we had an absolute boom in multifamily construction during the pandemic. A high number of permits were pulled, initiating an unprecedented number of new apartment projects.

Most projects take a minimum of two to three years to complete, so we are now facing an absorption problem with many of those apartment buildings finished, creating a glut of new product.

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The other major problem, which is the bigger challenge, is that much of the new product is for high-end renters. What we have is a shortage of affordable apartments. Local rents average about $1,500 a month, and the vacancy rate is at 7.2%.

Builders and investors in multifamily projects face higher material and labor costs compared to pre-pandemic levels, higher financing costs due to higher interest rates and increasingly expensive lots. If it’s expensive to build a unit, it will be expensive to rent a unit.

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The multifamily market is now adjusting with actual declines now in permits pulled and projects started. Multifamily starts in the U.S. are running nearly 50% below their year-ago pace. This is also true regionally for both single and multifamily permits.

But the conundrum is that less supply isn’t necessarily good, because we do have a structural shortage of housing. Lower supply also means more upward pressure on prices.

The U.S. median price of a new condo has increased from $450,000 in 2018 to $550,000 in 2023. But building mostly high-end housing isn’t the solution. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates the U.S. is short 7.3 million housing units for low-income renters. Many cities have mandates for builders to construct a certain percentage of affordable units, but that’s not enough, and waiting lists are long for prospective tenants.

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Montana is experiencing an influx of homebuyers from more expensive regions. To get ahead of the affordability issue, they’ve legalized several meaningful measures like allowing accessory dwelling units on any lot with a detached home. They’ve legalized dense housing and mixed-use buildings within all commercial zones.

Montana’s new laws also allow duplexes on any residential lot. New residential construction only allows one parking space per home. They’ve accelerated the permit review process.

These may seem like radical ideas, but I’d rather get ahead of the problem before middle-class workers and their families decide not to live here.

Other Gazette articles, TV segments and DDES monthly economic dashboards can be found at ddestrategies.org.



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Officer injured, suspect treated for ingesting glass after police respond to disturbance in Old Colorado City

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Officer injured, suspect treated for ingesting glass after police respond to disturbance in Old Colorado City


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – An officer was injured while responding to a disturbance call in Old Colorado City on Saturday.

Colorado Springs police said they responded to W. Colorado Ave. around 4 p.m. for a report of a disturbance.

When they arrived, they said they found that a woman had thrown a rock through a building’s window before unlawfully following a victim into that building while holding a rock. They said they found the woman, who they said was Ravynn Walker, and disarmed her.

As they worked to arrest Walker, police said she injured an officer by kicking him. He was treated for minor injuries and released.

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Police also said it was later found that Walker had possibly ingested glass and narcotics, so she was also treated at the hospital.

Walker is being accused of burglary and assault.



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