Residents urge shelter support and warn against criminalization as city postpones homelessness item
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Summary
Public commenters at the Nov. 5 Loveland City Council meeting urged council to pursue shelters and oppose criminalizing homelessness; Councilor Samson postponed her new-business homelessness item to a future meeting so all participants can attend and staff can consult stakeholders.
Councilor Myra Samson (identified in the transcript as the councilor who introduced the item) told the council she would postpone her new-business homelessness proposal until a later meeting so the item would not fall on election night and so more participants could be present.
During the public-comment period, multiple Loveland residents urged the council to prioritize shelter options and to consult homelessness experts before changing enforcement policy. "It presumes that criminalization is the best path forward to address homelessness. It is not," said Ben Nelson (Ward 1), who warned that replacing shelters with jailing would impose costs on taxpayers, hinder re-housing and risk lives. Nelson asked whether proposed changes could jeopardize funding from the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care, which emphasizes prevention of criminalization in HUD applications.
Other commenters described gaps in existing services. Jen Castaneda said she spent months homeless this year while reliant on a ventilator and oxygen; she said the local shelter was not equipped for her needs and called for better prioritization of disabled and senior residents. "I live on a ventilator and oxygen equipment. I could not stay at the shelter because it was not equipped," Castaneda said. Lenny Figur, who said he holds master's degrees in counseling and special education, said a regional wet shelter sited near housing for disadvantaged or elderly residents could present safety risks and urged protections for children and seniors.
Mary Tummer framed the packet language and a particular bullet point as both legal and moral concerns. "It's not just about the law. It's about morality, and it's about taking care of the least among us," she said, urging the city to work with organizations that can run a shelter effectively.
Council members asked public commenters to follow up with staff and said they planned continued engagement. Samson offered to coordinate with staff and to collect input before returning the item to a future agenda.
No formal council action was taken on homelessness at the meeting; Samson's item was postponed to a subsequent regular meeting to allow broader participation and staff consultation.
