Local non-profit says homeless population increasing, amidst rising rent costs and low wages

A local non-profit is seeing an increase in the homeless population and in the number of people living outside without any shelter. The Blackbird Outreach Team says the increase in homelessness is due to a combination of skyrocketing rents and low wages.

Blackbird Outreach tells 11 News they want to dispell the claim that the legalization of marijuana has caused the increase.

They say of the more than 1,000 homeless people that outreach teams have been in contact with, nearly 60 percent of them reported they were already living in El Paso County when they became homeless.

“If we expand that to the state it’s 70 percent. These aren’t strangers that want to get high. These are our neighbors that we’re ignoring outside,” Trig Bundgaard with Blackbird Outreach said.

"Maybe come December 1st, maybe I'll be off the streets,” Jacob said after we approached him on Tejon Street.

While our 11 News crew was talking with Jacob, a woman walked by and told our crew her nephew died last year when he was on the streets.

"It surprises me when you stop every light on the west side, there are homeless people. Somebody asking for money, somebody in need and my mom and I have tried to help out,” Carrie said.

Blackbird Outreach says the number of homeless people living outside, unsheltered has gone up 46 percent in the last year.

"It's a realistic goal. We could end homelessness, effectively house 1,000 people in our city if we would see the landlords open up more affordable property rents,” Bundgaard said.

Although the Springs Rescue Mission's new shelter has opened, there's still not enough beds for a big percentage of the homeless population.