The pilot version of the Clean and Safe program in downtown Colorado Springs has hit the one-year mark, marking thousands of contacts with visitors and some intransigent homeless residents.

Leaders from the Downtown Partnership presented a progress report to Colorado Springs City Council on Monday morning, highlighting the benefits and limitations of the program over the last year and why they will likely ask the city to extend funding into 2027.

The pilot program provides three services to the downtown core: private security teams that roam the streets 16 hours a day, ambassadors that meet with tourists and other downtown visitors and a homeless outreach program led by Homeward Pikes Peak.

The security officers responded to 2,850 incidents in the first 11 months of the pilot program. About 98% of the incidents were handled just by the security officers or outreach experts and did not involve the Colorado Springs Police Department.

“I wouldn’t say that every one of the 2,800 incidents could have required police intervention, but many could have. The vast majority could have. They were able to handle things at a lower level and resolve those effectively without having to take away our police officers’ time,” said Pat Rigdon, who oversees the Clean and Safe program for the Downtown Partnership.

The total cost to run the pilot program for a year and a half is $1.8 million, including $700,000 provided by the city through the recreational marijuana sales tax collection.

Rigdon said they are looking for continued funding options and will ask the city for a specific number in the 2027 budget in the near future.

A huge percentage of the calls for service happen between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., as the security and outreach teams find people sleeping in doorways and alleys. There were more than 1,100 calls then, while no other hour had more than 200 calls reported.

The outreach team interacted with 221 homeless residents who came through downtown since last August. Of those, the partnership reported that 135 began working with a case manager and 24 were able to move into either supportive housing or a relative’s home.

A relatively small number of homeless residents have remained a sticking point for the program. Homeward Pikes Peak outreach director Steve Wayant estimated that of the people his team contacted in the last year, around 100 were regularly in downtown Colorado Springs. The chronically homeless population who were the hardest to reach and created the most disruptions was fewer than 30 people, the Downtown Partnership estimated.

Luke Travins is the co-owner of Concept Restaurants, which has its office downtown and works with Jose Muldoon’s and Mackenzie’s Chop House. Travins said he has seen faster responses to issues since the Clean and Safe program launched last year. He said that extending the program was the best way for the city to build on its progress.

“We are seeing a lot of improvements. But all it takes is one person that’s in a mental health crisis, screaming, and that can ruin 100 customers’ perception of downtown,” Travins said.

Travins said that if the program was extended, the city should look at cities across the country to see how they create safer downtowns.

Downtown Partnership CEO Chelsea Gondeck said that goals for an ongoing version of the program included cleaning up alleys, getting businesses to lock their dumpsters and more aggressively going after repeat disruptors.

The council was split on how aggressive the security and police response should be. Councilmember Dave Donelson insisted the city should arrest anyone sleeping in doorways as a municipal violation. While an arrest could take somebody off the streets for as little as 24 hours, Donelson said it was about enforcing city rules.

“What we can do is enforce our laws and ordinances against crime. If we don’t want it to be a crime, let’s remove it from the books. But as long as it’s there, let’s enforce it,” Donelson said.

Several other councilmembers wanted to focus on the improvements the Clean and Safe program has made so far and the potential to expand partnerships with the Springs Rescue Mission or service providers.

“We’re trying not to do it the old-fashioned way. We’re trying to do it in a way where, if (outreach experts) can get to those young people, they’ll have a better life in their 40s,” Councilmember Brandy Williams said.

The Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority plans to launch its own version of the Clean and Safe Program for a section of Nevada Avenue south of Interstate 25. The City Council will deliver its final vote Tuesday on whether to provide that program $458,000 from the recreational marijuana tax fund.