LOVELAND, Colo. (KDVR) — A week after the group calling themselves Camp Hope set up tents and sleeping bags outside Loveland City Hall, tensions are rising following a violent altercation on Monday that resulted in an ambulance being called.
The group has been camped out for days to protest the recent loss of funding for the city’s main homeless shelter. Volunteers say their goal is to draw attention to what they call a lack of long-term housing solutions — and to humanize those affected.
“If the city does not want to look at them, talk to them, or engage them as human beings, then we will be right here until you do,” said one supporter at the encampment.
Mayor Jacki Marsh told FOX31 she spent two nights with the group and decided to open City Hall on Sunday night to keep people safe from freezing rain.
“I was watching the weather and realized we’re going to have a problem. We’re going to have some wet people if we don’t do something,” Marsh said.
But other city officials say that decision went against policy. According to the city, only the city manager or a designated official has the authority to modify hours of operation for municipal buildings.
In response to safety concerns, Loveland has now opened temporary housing at the Loveland Resource Center. The site can accommodate about 20 people, but volunteers say conditions inside are cramped and unsanitary.
“We’re hurt that people are not being prioritized over profit, over policies, and over politics,” said Jen Castaneda with the Loveland Justice League, who has been helping organize Camp Hope.
A city council meeting scheduled for Tuesday will now be held virtually amid the tension. Leaders are expected to discuss potential long-term shelter options.
Mayor Marsh says she hopes the meeting will produce a plan to create a permanent shelter.
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