Place
Springs Rescue Mission (SRM) Campus is located in a mixed use area in southwest downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The area is made up of small commercial enterprises just south of an older residential neighborhood. Located near, but just outside Colorado Springs downtown corridor, SRM’s location is accessible for clients and strategically invites homeless residents away from the downtown corridor and onto SRM’s campus.
People
SRM serves adults experiencing chronic homelessness. Most seeking assistance struggle with some combination of the following challenges: substance addiction, untreated medical conditions, chronic hunger, mental illness, unemployment and overall life instability. Many have also experienced physical and/or sexual assault while living on the streets, further complicating their physical, mental and emotional challenges.
Project
The City of Colorado Springs, Community Development Division, provided a critical infusion of CDBG funds early in SRM’s capital campaign, effectively catalyzing the development and rallying the support of private donors, philanthropic organizations, and the State of Colorado Division of Housing. The project expanded SRM’s campus as the designated location for unaccompanied adults experiencing homelessness from 4.5 to 8.7 acres, developing adjacent, blighted land as well as the commercial properties intermixed with its previous facilities. Phase 1 of the project expanded the shelter and day center facility, and provided homeless individuals with access to a range of essential life-sustaining services, including hot meals, shower and laundry facilities, and ongoing contact with caseworkers and mental health experts.
Partners
City leaders and local non-profits designed the project together, decreasing community service duplication and encouraging local agencies to focus on a particular segment of the homeless population. SRM’s campus expansion brings strategic partners onto our campus so that guests experiencing homelessness can access a “one-stop shop” for services, while facilitating intra-agency communication and collaboration on each client’s behalf. Partners on SRM’s campus include: Aspen Pointe, Peak Vista, the Department of Human Services and Adult Protective Services, Pikes Peak Library District, Urban Peak, the Veteran’s Administration, Star Dental, Rocky Mountain Human Services and Pikes Peak Workforce Center.