Council shelves ban on homeless camps

The City Council decided to shelve a proposed no-camping law that could have displaced scores of homeless people living along creeks, parks and other public property.

Even the Police Department had “concerns about implementation issues,” Chief Richard Myers said.

“As with most of the homeless-related strategies that rise to the level of ordinances, they are really all simply treating symptoms of a larger problem, one that we as a community have yet to deal with effectively, realistically,” he said.

The council directed Colorado Springs Police Department to work with advocates for the homeless, service providers and other stakeholders to come up with a more comprehensive approach to dealing with homelessness, including housing alternatives.

Police officials will report back to the council in February.