‘The status quo is not working’: Mountain town reckons with homelessness
Last winter, Ricky Plunkett and Christi Buchanan woke up to find their tent completely frozen inside.
The couple, who are homeless, were camping near the Rio Grande on the outskirts of Alamosa. The temperature had plunged to -26 F, and they could hear the fabric of their shelter crackle as it froze.
“We woke up, and on the inside of the tent, it looked like someone just sprayed glass,” Mr. Plunkett says.
They’re from Texas – a warmer climate. But the duo takes pride in weathering sub-zero winters on the floor of North America’s largest high-altitude desert, the San Luis Valley, high in the Rocky Mountains. Alamosa is the biggest community in the vast, remote valley, with about 10,000 residents.
Despite the brutal cold, the couple trekked to Alamosa two years ago to live in a temporary homeless
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