Summer o≠ers no respite for homeless in Colorado Springs

Police tell people not to camp under bridges due to flood concerns.

Darin Taylor, right, cooks dinner for other campers including Theresa Graham on May 18 under the Tejon Street bridge in Colorado Springs. Christian Murdock, The Gazette

colorado springs» Darin Taylor is transient, in every sense of the word.

Almost every day, he packs up the blue and white tent that he and his girlfriend share under the Tejon Street bridge. He stuffs it into a shopping cart holding nearly all their belongings — his girlfriend’s oxygen tank included.

He repeats the cycle with nearly each sunrise and each sunset. And he’s far from alone. Far too few shelter beds exist in El Paso County, leaving homeless people with little choice but to risk their safety and break a city ordinance by camping, homeless advocates say.

Since the area’s two seasonal homeless shelters closed for the season, there has been a rise in outdoor homeless communities.

Standing beside his creekside tent, Taylor, 46, minced no words. “There ain’t nowhere here for the homeless to go in the summertime.”

Colorado Springs police cannot enforce bans on camping on public property when shelter beds are full. But relaxed enforcement pertains to vacant city property, and the moment any beds open (even for a day), officers can enforce the ordinance, Lt. Jeff Jensen said.

Meanwhile, a ban on camping in city parks remains in place. Further, police say they will continue to ticket people camping on private land under the city’s trespassing ordinance.

And police are telling people not to camp under the popular South Nevada Avenue and Tejon Street bridges, due to flooding concerns.

Camping bans exist for El Paso County property and parks. And the U.S. Forest Service does not allow people to live on national forest land, but recreational campers can stay for two weeks.

For Taylor, the mere threat of being ticketed for illegally camping keeps him always on the move.

He and his girlfriend, Theresa Graham, 48, arrived six months ago. They lived with her brother, but grew uncomfortable. Then they moved to a motel before going to the Salvation Army’s cold-weather shelter that closed in mid-April. Ever since, they’ve camped.

They live off Graham’s $733-a-month disability check while Taylor tries to replace his stolen ID.

Living outside, Graham’s health has worsened. She suffers from emphysema and diabetes, which has triggered varying stages of neuropathy in her feet.

The only options for shelter in El Paso County are a few small programs and the Salvation Army’s 200-bed R.J. Montgomery Center. No other options are available until Nov. 1 when the Springs Rescue Mission is expected to open a new, year-round, 150-bed shelter.

But without more beds, people will still be forced outside. Last winter, the city’s two seasonal shelters housed an average of 200 people a night. Even with those beds full, a one-night survey in January found more than 300 additional people sleeping outside.