Notified — How not to promote Pueblo, pot drifters & SoCo’s limited housing 📈
April 12, 2017 |Marijuana ≠ more homelessness, data shows.
This week we’re talking homelessness, or vagrancy — that’s what one group is calling the issue.
The first thing you should know is that it’s difficult to track homelessness. But there is some data. And the notion that it’s up in Colorado due to an influx of people interested in marijuana is just not true, according to a DU scholar. That story is after the jump.
First up is how PROPuebloCO is trying to address marketing Pueblo to the outside world without using something that has been seen as an asset for several years (affordability).
What’s causing homelessness in Colorado and Pueblo? We don’t have the answer this week — and it’s unlikely to be simple — but we do have a couple of pieces that explain the issue.
Is Pueblo’s cheap cost of living still a marketing asset?
The new PROPuebloCO group dedicated to promoting Pueblo and bettering the community on three specific fronts has one suggestion for those wanting to help their cause: be vigilant online.
Be a ‘cyber warrior,’ Jack Rink told the group at a planning and idea meeting this week. The goal is to decrease ‘vagrancy’ by discouraging people from moving to Pueblo solely for its low cost of living.
The group says these people are sucking resources out of the community.
Low cost of business and living have been a consecutive message in marketing Pueblo in the last few years, particularly in attracting new business — the job of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation. Rink was the president of PEDCO for five years.
In 2015 PEDCO’s website talked about the cost of living and housing:
In 2013:
Now Rink and a group of Puebloans have changed their mind about the marketing plea. Cheap is not the way to grow, they say.
The group wants to “respectfully request that other community groups de-emphasize Pueblo’s low cost of living.” Though, they say affordability is okay to mention in context.
Working with lawmakers to establish residency requirements for benefits when possible is also on the group’s to-do list.
Finally, Rink said that anybody can play their part by putting to rest any rumors on the web that may point to a utopia of free aid in Pueblo.
Resources are tapped, Rink said. But also pointed out that there should be a welcoming message to those who are interested in Pueblo for tourism or considering a serious move to the Steel City.
As for their progress?
Well.
The PEDCO website still mentions Pueblo has a cost-effective place to live:
A correlation between marijuana and homelessness? Expert says no.
The long-told tale that people are pouring into Colorado for the marijuana and ending up homeless for whatever reason isn’t supported by the data.
University of Denver scholar Donald Burnes, and expert on Colorado homelessness, presented the data to a group at CSU-Pueblo on Wednesday.
You can read about what he believes is causing homelessness and why data doesn’t support the cannabis argument here.
Better served at home
That’s what one congressman is saying about his work for Colorado. Rep. Ed Perlmutter announced his candidacy for governor this past week. Why go from Washington to Denver?
Per the Associated Press:
“The Trump administration, coupled with the gridlock that exists in Congress, really is causing things to go backward,” Perlmutter said in an interview. “I feel I can provide more service and leadership at home than I can in Washington.”
Las Animas County to apply for marijuana impact grant
Law enforcement in Las Animas County doesn’t have enough resources to keep up with the number of illegal grows popping up around the county, according to reporting by the Trinidad Chronicle News.
So they’re applying for a state grant to help meet those needs. If approved by the state, the county will get more than $55,000 to to investigate marijuana grows and mitigate negative impacts from the industry.
Otero County has previously received a similar Department of Local Affairs grant.
Two week recess means townhalls
Speaking of congress, the House is on recess, so expect some townhalls. Auoroa Rep. Mike Coffman held his first townhall of the year on Wednesday, as did Rep. Doug Lamborn.
Coffman told attendees he will oppose Trump, but he’s going to pick his battles.
A quick recap here.
As for the 3rd Congressional District (Pueblo and the Western Slope) Rep. Scott Tipton will be making a few stops.
On April 18 Tipton will be in Alamosa to talk to constituents from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. On April 20, the congressman will be at Pueblo West High School from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
What’s with the trouble finding a home to buy in Pueblo?
Put simply, there aren’t enough. Homes that are in the market go fast, and because there are so few, home values have increased.
From PULP’s Ashleigh Hollowell:
The Pueblo Association of Realtors monthly indicators report for December 2016, the most recent available, shows that despite a few spikes in recent years, housing affordability is trending downward overall.
“Not a lot of people are choosing to list their homes right now. Supply is down- naturally that has an upward pressure on pricing, if you’re the only game in town you will price it up,” said Jeff Falletta, a Remax associate who has worked in Pueblo real estate for 22 years.
