Downtown Dealing With Homeless Camping

Barricades are up to keep campers out.

I'm downtown often and usually at night for concerts and other downtown events. I've hopped the barricades put up in the breezeway between Fifth and Sixth streets on the south side of Main Street cutting through to the Mesa Theater. The barricades are up to keep the homeless from camping there overnight. It's been an ongoing challenge and Grand Junction's Parks and Recreation Department personnel are usually stuck picking up garbage left over from their nighttime activities.

Are the barricades going to be put up and taken down every night indefinitely? The city says the barriers are a temporary measure. The Downtown Development Authority and Business Improvement District are planning a more permanent solution that may include installing more decorative fencing, changing the layout of the breezeway, or adding brighter lights or even piping in music.

It's a challenge that needs a permanent solution. I'm not sure what that looks like but hopefully, there's something that can be done soon that works for downtown and the folks just trying to find a place to sleep for the night.