New lockers to be installed early next year at the Durango Transit Center will provide homeless residents with secure storage – one of the top needs expressed among homeless residents.
The Neighbors in Need Alliance, a faith-based group, raised about $12,700 for the six new lockers that will be installed at the Transit Center in eight to 12 weeks, said volunteer Betsy Morriss.
The alliance decided to provide the lockers after hearing repeated concerns from the homeless community that one of their biggest concerns is theft of personal possessions, including government-issued IDs, said Caroline Kinser, an organizer with the group. Some homeless residents have said it looks bad to show up for work or a job interview with a backpack full of personal belongings.
“Many times we heard the story: ‘Well, I got a job for two days, and I came back and all my stuff had been stolen,’” Kinser said.
The 6-foot-tall lockers are meant to help prevent theft and help keep items clean and dry, she said. If the pilot project goes well, the group might add lockers in the future.
The city of Durango is providing $6,000 in funding and a space for the lockers at the Transit Center, Kinser said.
The Transit Center was identified as an ideal location for the lockers because it is a public place that is well-lit 24/7, monitored by surveillance cameras and has an existing concrete pad for the lockers, she said.
Homeless residents who are selected for a locker will have to sign a contract and agree not to store drugs, alcohol or weapons in the lockers, Kinser said. Those selected for a locker will also be working with a mentor from the Neighbors in Need Alliance, who will check in on them, she said.
To help ensure homeless campers survive the coming winter, the alliance is also collecting winter gear for distribution. The alliance formed earlier this year to establish a low-barrier shelter for this coming winter but was unable to find a site, so it is working on collecting gear, Kinser said.
“It was the only thing available to us that we felt we could accomplish,” Kinser said.
The Neighbors in Need Alliance will accept donations from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on East Third Avenue and Ninth Street.
The alliance is asking for gently used tents, tarps, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, rope, fleece blankets, headlamps, backpacks, boots, gloves, hats, socks and winter jackets.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
