Federal official commends Springs plan for homeless

A top federal official Thursday applauded Colorado Springs' detailed planning to prevent homelessness and help people who have nowhere to live attain self-sufficiency.

Philip Mangano, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, said the city's "Ten Year Blueprint to Serve Every Homeless Citizen of the Pikes Peak Region" is a critical step to helping the area's most needy people. The blueprint is set to be unveiled in December, replacing a five-year plan developed in 2003. Nationwide, 350 cities have adopted similar 10-year plans.

"Without a plan, things only get worse," Mangano told reporters and city officials during a meeting at City Hall.

He cited the strain chronic homelessness creates on hospitals and law enforcement agencies, and other negative effects in areas such as tourism and the atmosphere on city streets.

"The cost of maintaining people in homelessness is always more expensive than solving their homelessness," Mangano said.

The typical cost to taxpayers for a homeless person suffering from physical ailments and other problems such as drug addiction is $54,000 annually, said Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera. That accounts for run-ins with police, emergency room visits and other costs, he said. By contrast, the annual cost to taxpayers of putting a homeless person into safe housing is about $15,000, Rivera said.

The 10-year plan will focus on services that are supposed to save taxpayer money while encouraging homeless people to move away from reliance on public help. Its seven focus areas include health, housing, food, emergency services, access to services, veterans and re-entering society after incarceration. Thursday's presentation did not include a detailed look at how those services would be financed. Part of the money will come from the city's general fund, and part from donations deposited in specially designed meters City Councilman Jerry Heimlicher is promoting as an alternative to giving change to panhandlers.

A local charity, Homeward Pikes Peak, will be responsible for coordinating services for the homeless.

Homeward Pikes Peak Executive Director Bob Holmes wrote the "Five Year Blueprint to House Every Citizen of Colorado Springs" in 2003. Five years later, the number of homeless people in Colorado Springs has doubled to roughly 2,000, about 400 of whom are defined as chronically homeless, Holmes said.

A lack of money was the biggest reason the plan did not achieve its stated goal, Holmes said. Mental illness is widespread among homeless people, and there was not enough money to treat them, he said.

Holmes is optimistic the new plan will be effective.

"We're not going to cure homelessness in 10 years, but I hope at least we can reach a hand out to everyone," he said.

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Contact the writer: 636-0187 or perry.swanson@gazette.com