The Board of Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock issued a letter to Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman to ensure his understanding of Douglas County’s approach to managing those being released from the Douglas County Jail who are without transportation. Following is an excerpt from the letter that is attached below:
“One contributing factor to the growth of the unsheltered is the lack of public transportation in Castle Rock. This is an issue for the 76.59% (Jan – May 2022) of those being released from our county jail – in Castle Rock – who are not from Douglas County and have no transportation options to return to their originating community or the community to which they have ties.
To address this specific cause of homelessness in our community, we created an extension to our Jail Based Reintegration program providing transportation to releasing inmates. The goal of the program is to return inmates with connected resources that will allow continuum of care and the best chance of individual success while reducing criminal recidivism. The Reintegration Deputy works proactively on individual relocation solutions. Through consistent collaboration, community partners address these needs to include mental health, substance abuse, Veterans services, and homelessness.”
Read more about the Douglas County Homeless Initiative online.