A new ordinance that would make sleeping in vehicles illegal and punishable by up to ten days in jail has passed its first hurdle with the Colorado Springs City Council.
The ordinance vote passed by seven to two, with councilors Nancy Henjum and Kimberly Gold voting against it. It still needs a final vote of approval by city council and approval by the mayor.
In 2025, the council considered the ordinance but voted to table the vote until Feb. 24, with the goal of including more stakeholders in the conversation.
During the nearly three hours of public comments, business owners, people who have previously — or are currently — experiencing homelessness, and advocates urged councilors to vote against the ordinance. The ordinance has tiers of penalties from a warning to ten days in jail, and a person cited could also end up having their car towed.
Donna Wintz is a parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, which works with the Sanctuary Church to provide services to the unhoused, such as showers and food.
Wintz said she was once homeless herself.
"Let's be clear — this ban would increase homelessness and the loss of life,” said Wintz.
Jaron Cook also spoke against the ordinance. He serves on the board of Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, and is the co-founder of the Fathers First Incorporated, a nonprofit focused on educating fathers. He said he and his daughter once lived in their car, “The car wasn't just our transportation, it was protection from the cold. It was a safe space for her and I to lay our heads.”
He said during that time he sought help, but often was denied because he was a man, or due to his criminal history.
“If I'd been cited during that time, that may have just added another barrier for myself and my daughter. Another charge, another label, another stigma,” Cook said.
Councilperson David Leinweber supported the ordinance, but said the city should also work on providing more assistance for the homeless.
“The issue is really about trying to get you the right services as quickly as possible. We need to do a better job in doing that,” he said. “We don't need people to be relying on camping in their cars. We need to get them to the right places.”
Leinweber and his fellow council members all agreed on one point — the need for more resources to help people experiencing homelessness and mental health crises.
Ingrid Richter is a real estate broker and a former Manitou Springs councilwoman. She said the ordinance amounts to punishing homelessness before expanding avenues to escape it.
“My concern is about adopting this ordinance now without the service capacity to support it. I don't believe this will move us toward those goals, and may unintentionally deepen the challenges we're already struggling to manage,” Richter said.
Aimee Cox, Chief Housing and Homelessness Officer for the city, said the city is making plans for safe parking zones at religious institutions to give people a place to car camp legally.
The City Council will vote on the ordinance a final time at its next meeting in March. If it passes it heads to the Mayor's desk for consideration.
In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decision, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, set a new precedent that would allow local governments to ban homelessness encampments in public spaces.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to provide the correct name for Catholic Charities of Central Colorado.
