Aurora lawmakers provisionally approve new 'tough love' homeless approach

Aurora's proposed "tough love" approach to homelessness, which would bring harsher penalties for violations of the camping ban along the I-225 corridor and create a new court for low-level offenses by homeless people, moved forward with unanimous council support during Monday night's study session.

The approach includes two new proposals from Mayor Mike Coffman, Councilmember Steve Sundberg and Councilmember Curtis Gardner that were heard at the council's study session.

The first of the two proposals would "put the entire I-225 corridor under a new trespass ordinance," in which individuals would be ticketed and given a date to appear in court. The second measure would create a new specialized court to deal with low-level offenses by homeless people, such as violating the trespass ordinance, illegal drug possession or retail theft.

Sponsors of the proposals clarified Monday night that the new approach is a pilot program, not a permanent one yet.

Sundberg said that, currently, the homeless situation along the I-225 corridor is a public health and safety issue, presenting threats, such as fire danger and unsafe walking conditions.

"We really want people to be helped, recover and get well," Sundberg said. "We don't want to be punitive, we want to be supportive in this court system."

Specifically, the camping ordinance enhance laws against urban camping in the city, adding areas that are "Closed to Camping" to the city code, according to council documents.

In "Closed to Camping" areas, unauthorized camps can be immediately cleared without prior notice.

Sundberg presented a sign Monday night that would be put up in the camping ban areas, which reads, "tTis site has been identified as an area with health and/or public safety concerns where the city of Aurora has determined that camping is not permitted."

It states that the city will abate camps on a periodic basis with no other notice.

Currently, people camping along the interstate are given a 72-hour notice to move and, if they do so, they are not penalized — even if they set up tents in another unauthorized location.

The new proposal takes away the 72-hour notice and results in immediate tickets to individuals, making them subject to arrest if they don't appear for their court dates, Coffman said.

Coffman said the area can be expanded, but with current resources, they want to address the I-225 corridor first.

"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 piece of the new approach is a resolution, sponsored by Gardner, that would establish what council documents call the Aurora HEART — short for Housing, Employment, Assistance, Recovery, Team program in Aurora Municipal Court.

Homeless people who have been charged with trespassing or "similar non-domestic violence low level non-violent municipal ordinance offenses" will be eligible to participate in the court system, where they would be offered services and can use them in exchange for closure of the case, according to council documents.

Both parts of the proposed approach passed through study session with unanimous support from the council and will go to a vote at an upcoming regular meeting.

The twin proposals, if enacted, would further affirm Aurora's preferred approach to curbing its homelessness problem — by giving individuals the opportunity to accept services, including treatment, on the one hand, and by adopting, on the other hand, a policy akin to zero tolerance for homeless people who refuse help.