Will Pueblo be the latest Colorado city to adopt a public camping ban? Council to decide

Pueblo may soon adopt an ordinance that would make it illegal to camp on public property and impose a fine for doing so.

The ordinance, approved by city council on first reading Monday, would prohibit camping or using a structure as temporary housing on public property within city limits. Its language is similar to camping bans that Denver and other Colorado counties have passed over the past 10 years.

People who violate the ordinance would have the option to move into “sheltered bed space.” If they decline that offer, they could face a fine up to $1,000.

The ordinance would be separate from another city law that bans people from pitching a tent or structure in a park.

Councilor Regina Maestri introduced the ordinance and said during Monday's city council meeting that she did so not to “tackle the homelessness issue” but rather “protect our public lands, environment and safety.”

In an interview with the Chieftain, Maestri reiterated that stance, saying that she feels the ordinance is not tied to homelessness but does target “people who are illegally camping on public lands.”

“I’m not here to solve homeless issues,” Maestri told the Chieftain. “I’m here to act as a responsible steward of our environment as an elected official. We have a sworn duty to protect our environment, period.”

During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, a few speakers expressed concern that the ordinance would target the unhoused and impose fines they likely cannot pay. Brett Boston, a local restaurant owner, said he felt the ordinance could benefit business owners around Pueblo who have shared concerns about homelessness.

Monday’s discussion on the matter echoed similar dialogue that surfaced in 2022, when the city considered banning the right to sit or lie down in downtown Pueblo. Homeless advocates and business owners shared comparable arguments before that proposal was rejected in a 4-3 vote.

Some city councilors on Monday backed Maestri, who said she feels camping in public areas affects Pueblo’s waterways and hinders the city divisions tasked with cleaning them up.

“Business owners and constituents all the time are complaining about the condition, environment of the city caused by trash and human waste,” Maestri said. “It attracts rodents, diseases and so forth. That is the reason the camping ban really needs to take place.”

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Colorado organizations that assist the homeless, including the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, have condemned camping bans in recent years. Some of them have argued that the ban does not effectively address homelessness and makes outreach and engagement with the unhoused more difficult.

Denver adopted a camping ban in 2012, with some proponents arguing the measure could help people who are homeless find permanent housing and improve city cleanliness. But homelessness has grown in the city since the law’s inception.

Maestri claimed that Denver exceeded its shelter space, which left the ordinance unenforceable. She also claimed Jefferson County, another area where the ban is in place, has seen a reduction in the number of non-sanctioned campers.

“(People) shouldn’t be camping on public land,” Maestri said. “There are enough shelter beds.”

Some of Pueblo’s homeless advocates have asserted that the Pueblo Rescue Mission, the city’s only homeless shelter, does not have enough capacity and that some of the unhoused don’t want to go there. The shelter this winter opened a new facility that allows them to take in more emergency clients.

Paul Montoya, one of Pueblo’s most active homeless advocates, lamented the ordinance’s proposed consequence, saying it’s unlikely that most of Pueblo’s homeless could afford a fine, let alone one that could reach $1,000.

Council President Heather Graham, a candidate for mayor, said Monday she was “torn” over the proposal. She visited an encampment over the weekend and saw it was “relatively” clean compared to others in Pueblo, though she said she's aware of how many citizens have expressed displeasure over them.

“This is a very complex problem,” Graham said. “I think it’s going to take the council, the mayor’s office and city staff working together to push something along to really clean up Pueblo and get people housed and make it a place we all call home.”

The background paper for the proposed ordinance states that “Maestri recommends” its passage. Other ordinances that councilors vote on often do not have such a distinction.

City council is expected to vote on the proposed ordinance later this month.

Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Here's why Pueblo may soon adopt an urban camping ban