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Pueblo warming shelter closes

Posted at 6:01 PM, May 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-01 20:39:17-04

PUEBLO- After several months, the Pueblo warming shelter closed its doors for good Wednesday morning.

“I’m overwhelmed, it’s been an emotional time,” said Kathy Cline, the Director of the shelter.

The shelter on Ninth Street was always meant to be temporary with plans to close on May 1st, and now Cline is looking to get a grant from the state Department of Local Affairs to fund renovations for a permanent shelter.

That shelter location will be on Fourth Street, where the Pueblo Rescue Mission used to call home.

Cline says they’ve submitted an application for a grant, totaling more than a million dollars, with hopes to open by the end of the year.

“We have an entire program outline developed that takes us all the way from this part of our project to having a permanent shelter, all the way to having a daily meal, which is a critical need in this town,” said Cline.

Concerns remain over the impact of both the shelter and shutting down the current one.

Gary Jordan owns an auto-body shop across the street from the warming shelter on ninth street.

“It’s just been one thing after another,” said Jordan, who adds since the shelter’s opening he’s caught people on surveillance littering, urinating, among other things outside of his shop.

Jordan hasn’t been a fan of the shelter, and with nowhere for the homeless community to go now, he has questions.

“When the security leaves I don’t know what’s going to happen, ’cause they’re used to going to a place they’re going to continue to go there,” said Jordan.

The business owner hopes more will be done to resolve some of the things he’s experienced outside of his shop.