A PROBLEM THEY CAN'T SOLVE

The homeless became a major Colorado Springs headline in late 2008. It began when Gazette columnist Barry Noreen exposed a city-sponsored group called Keep Colorado Springs Beautiful for abusing the homeless. The organization was videotaped raiding homeless camps, throwing away valuable possessions and police searching luggage without warrants.
As the local, regional, state and national economies collectively tank, more and more people are homeless or on the brink of becoming homeless. The Gazette this week has published a four-part series that explains in great detail the size, scope and nature of our city's homeless problem.
Concern has been expressed regarding the commitment and funding level of local government in Colorado Springs, relative to the amount of government attention given to homelessness by other cities.
This is a time of financial crisis or trepidation for growing legions of taxpayers throughout the region. It is not a time for local governments to cure homelessness at the cost of those who still have homes. It's not the city's job to provide shelter.
If taxpayer funds are to help the homeless, they should be spent only on the homeless, and not high-salaried private social workers. If taxpayer money goes to homeless charities, it should go only to those with all-volunteer, unpaid personnel. The homeless boom must not be the catalyst for charity bloat, at the expense of taxpayers who are tapped.
The best thing city and county officials can do for the homeless is to leave them alone. Allow the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and the hundreds of churches and other organizations in Colorado Springs to do what they can for the homeless with private funds. Government cannot afford to solve this problem as the economy contracts.