Homelessness Proposals
Image Courtesy of Colorado Village Collaborative
By establishing a safe, transitional living space with peer support, case management, and various services, city council will be able to offer both recently unhoused and chronically unhoused residents a living space and community that meets people where they are at and helps get them housed. SOS is designed to maximize successes for residents of the camp while also offering a much-needed alternative.
Has this program had success in other cities?
Denver city council recently decided to make their Safe Outdoor Spaces (SOS) pilot into a permanent program.
These city campsites have helped shelter over “500 people and helped 180 move into long-term housing”.
Additionally, Denver saw a decrease in crime reports in neighborhoods with an SOS site.
SOS sites provide a stable living situation to some of the dozens of unhoused residents that are unable to stay at a traditional shelter site, unwilling to give up care of an animal companion, wishing to stay close to a spouse or family member, or not yet prepared to trust a traditional shelter site.
What problem(s) does this proposal aim to solve?
Many in Boulder are concerned with camping in public spaces and on private property.
Currently, when unhoused individuals are moved from these spaces they do not have anywhere else to go.
By providing SOS sites, we can provide safe places for people who need an environment other than a traditional shelter.