Aurora , Colorado, is one step closer to taking a "tough love" approach to its homeless problem , penalizing anyone caught camping along a busy corridor and creating a new court tasked with doling out punishments to rule breakers.
The pair of proposals, backed by Republican Mayor Mike Coffman and Councilmembers Steve Sundberg and Curtis Gardner, moved forward Monday night with unanimous council support, the Denver Gazette reported .
The first would put the entire Interstate 225 corridor under a "new trespass ordinance" where anyone caught setting up a tent or sleeping there would be ticketed and given a court date.
"This is a tough love approach," Coffman said. "We currently have outreach teams that go out every single week and offer services, and we get very few takers, so this makes it in this area, which I believe in the center of gravity for unsheltered homelessness, to where it's no longer a choice."
The second proposal would create a new specialized court called "H.E.A.R.T," Housing, Employment, Addiction, Recovery, and Teamwork, that would only deal with low-level offenses committed by homeless people and includes crimes like retail theft, drug possession, and violating the trespass ordinance. The court would have the authority to require offenders put on probation to enroll in addiction recovery programs, seek mental health treatment, or get job training.
With successful completion of the court-ordered requirements, all charges would be dropped at the end of the probation period.
"We're not out to just be punitive. We want people to get help," Sundberg told CBS News. "We want to bring people into a supportive environment, and that's going to require enforcing the law."
Aurora has seen a spike in the number of homeless it has seen over the past couple of years. According to the 2023 Point-in-Time Survey , the municipality just east of Denver has 572 people experiencing homelessness. There are only 130 to 150 shelter beds on any given night.
While it is currently illegal to camp along the I-225 corridor, violators are given 72 hours to move. But even if they miss the deadline, there are no penalties.
"There are safety concerns as well," Sundberg said. "Where there's excessive trespassing, there's biohazard creation, there's wildfire danger. We want to mitigate that."
Sundberg insists the proposals are not about criminalizing homelessness but rather linking people in need with a supportive system.
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"The ultimate goal is for people to accept services, to experience recovery, get back to work, and contribute to society again," he said. "We want to surround them with a team of people that want to encourage them in their lives and get well."
The proposals will be put up for a full council vote at a coming meeting.
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