The Springs
Colorado Springs is located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, more than 6,000 feet above sea level. It’s a great city to call home. With an estimated 370,000 residents, the Springs is among the 50 largest cities in the United States. Like other cities, growth brings more people to the streets and more challenges to the Christian community.
Homeless Count
A statewide count of the homeless in January 2007 estimated there were more than 12,000 people in Colorado without permanent shelter. In our El Paso County, there were nearly 800 homeless people on the day of the count. The Colorado Division of Housing estimates the count to be higher based on those who were missed in the study and those who did not complete the survey. Half the respondents reported a serious condition such as mental illness, a medical condition, or substance abuse problem. The most common reason cited for homelessness was job loss, followed by the cost of housing and a family breakup.
Crime Rates
Colorado Springs is not exempt from problems that typically plague growing cities, including an increase in crime. Many of the problems are indirectly or directly caused by the city's difficulty in coping with the large population growth experienced in the last 20 years. While officials are optimistic and point to our low crime rates compared to other cities, the Springs’ 28 homicides in 2007 tied a record set in 1991.
The state's 20,000 beds in the state's publicly owned and private prisons are at 99% capacity, with an inmate population growing by 100 each month, according to Alison Morgan, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Corrections. "We're growing by a prison facility a year," Morgan said, adding the last state prison was built in Sterling in 1999.
Drug Use
Methamphetamine is obtainable throughout the state in varying degrees of quality. "Our [meth] arrests are up," said an unidentified member of the Springs Metro Vice Narcotics Interdiction Unit. "Whether that's a statistic of more people using, or if we've just gotten better at catching them, it's hard to say... but there are a lot of people affected." A steady supply of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and club drugs such as ketamine and GHB continues to penetrate Colorado Springs.
Alcoholism
Nearly 70% of homeless men and 30% of homeless women abuse alcohol. The downtown strip of Tejon Street was revitalized, in part, by bars and nightclubs that survive on alcohol sales. This is the same area where many homeless can be found. Washington University found that more than 80 percent of both homeless men and women who abuse alcohol were diagnosed with an alcohol use disorder in the year before they became homeless.
Mental Illness
About 40% of homeless individuals have a mental health concern. In Colorado Springs, we are fortunate to have a mental health agency with an excellent homeless outreach team. But the fact is, the need far surpasses our resources. Outreach is the key to helping people who are on the streets and unlikely to be seen any other way.
The Street Church is driven by the fact that Jesus vicariously visits us in the form of a broken person (Matthew 25); many fit into one of the above categories. We believe Jesus is the answer to every situation and He is able to turn around the most difficult problem. The Street Church acts as a team sent to the front lines to comfort the hurting and refit the weary. We hope to be instruments to deter others from unhealthy lifestyles by presenting the good news of Jesus Christ.
Serving Jesus in our city
The believer serves Jesus when he comforts the homeless, the addicted, the forsaken, and others who are hurting. We believe God calls us to see His Son in the faces of the poor and we have a responsibility to treat people on the street with compassion and dignity. 'Serving Jesus in our city' explains our drive and goal to marry the churches of our city to the poor.
