West Mesa resident Julia Fong is leading a campaign against a proposed Safe Outdoor Space in her neighborhood.
It’s an evolving issue. On Aug. 15, the Albuquerque City Council voted 6-3 to impose a one-year moratorium on sanctioned encampments. But on Aug. 26, Mayor Tim Keller vetoed the moratorium, placing it back in the council’s lap. It meets again on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
On Aug. 23, Pastor Dennis Hubbard of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, 5915 Blue Water Road NW in Albuquerque, applied to run a Safe Outdoor Space.
Hubbard began serving as its pastor in 2011 and is a member of the local NAACP branch and is the chaplain for the Albuquerque Police and Presbyterian Hospital. The church recently obtained a $215,000 loan to make renovations.
The first Safe Outdoor Space application accepted by city planners was from the newly formed nonprofit Dawn Legacy in August. Dawn Legacy Point will established the site at an empty lot on Menaul just west of I-25, and aims to focus on providing services for people who are survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation. Other applications have been made as well.
Hubbard said his plan is to focus on serving the working poor, so there will be no tents in Bethlehem Baptist Church’s space, but rather vehicles. He also plans on hiring security.
Each safe outdoor space can have up to 40 tents or vehicles, with a maximum capacity of 50 people. The safe outdoor spaces must be at least 330 feet from zones with low-density residential development, with the exception of religious institutions.
In an online petition, Fong explains why she is concerned about the proposed encampment.
“The reasons we oppose this safe space are the following: Safety of the children and residents in the neighborhood. The close proximity to the Lava Land Elementary School, daycare centers and community centers in the area. Increased traffic from cars and foot traffic in West Mesa. Increased trash on the street and church grounds,” the petition states.
“Not enough church staff and licensed behavioral/mental health workers to support homeless clients at the safe space. Tents and cars housing people next to residential homes. Increased alcohol and drug use in public. Possible increase of sex offenders in West Mesa. Lack of public restrooms, and showering facilities. Portable toilets and sanitation issues on church property next to homes. Lack of police force or security to monitor fights, violence and other problems with people living in cars and tents on the church property. Decreased property values.”
Fong told New Mexico Sun the track record of such “safe” spaces is reason enough for concern. She doubts it will be a safe place.
“No, I don’t believe it will be,” she said. “We have two prime examples here in Albuquerque of failures and insecurity. In the 2022 audit of the Westside shelter that was formally the old jail, it states that they had to call the police and fire 710 times last year. Heading Home, who is the contractor that runs the Westside shelter, has 10 paid security guards. They could not handle the issues there.
“The second example is a tiny home village that the county just had to purchase for $600,000 this week,” Fong said. “The Albuquerque Indian Center was running it for the city for the last two years but due to behavior issues it never went to full capacity of 60 people and instead was only at 12 people, then eight people, now four people because of the security issues and behavior problems.”
She said there are other things the city could do for the homeless population rather than allowing safe spaces in neighborhoods.
“They could’ve given the millions of dollars allotted to the Tiny Home Village and to other failed projects that waste money to the existing services at the crisis intervention unit run by the county,” Fong said. “That unit deals with mental behavioral and addiction issues but it only has 16 beds.”
The Crisis Intervention Team created by Mayor Keller and former Councilwoman Lan Sena is also another failure, she said.
“When residents call this crisis intervention team it’s supposed to have people who are licensed to help from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” Fong said. “We are told there’s not enough licensed behavioral therapist to get to every call. The police need to have funding to be able to do their job because many homeless people have behavior issues and a caseworker or a therapist cannot help them when they are violent.
“Existing organizations that deal with behavioral health could be funded instead of trying to reinvent the wheel and expect the neighborhood and residents and schools to put up with the behavior issues of many of the homeless who have addiction issues.”
In its current form, Safe Outdoor Spaces must be at least 330 feet from zones with low-density residential development, with the exception of religious institutions. Fong said holding organizers to that standard is the key.
“It should exist but they should also expect that to be adhered to by a religious institution that is in the middle of a residential neighborhood and down the street from an elementary school and a daycare,” she said. “Up until today Pastor Dennis Hubbard has never sent an email to the homeowners association president like he’s required to do.”
In her online petition, she said Hubbard has refused to respond to numerous invitations to meet with her to discuss the proposed encampment.
Fong also questions the claim that the camps were created to provide housing for victims of sex trafficking.
“They were not created for sex trafficking victims they are created for people living out of their cars — and in fact the rules for an SOS space application state that it’s for cars, RVs and tents for up to 50 people,” she said. “If they want to do this they need to take advice from cities who have safe outdoor spaces that are away from residential areas and these residents of these safe outdoor spaces actually pay a fee for water and sewage services. They are not living there for free and there are rules and accountability for them.”
Fong said she will do all she can to block the application from being approved. Otherwise, the neighborhood and its residents will be placed at an unnecessary risk.
“I don’t already feel safe with all the homeless in my neighborhood doing crimes and assaulting people here,” she said. “And I’m not going to allow this application to be accepted because I’m going to go speak and I’m gonna make a lot of noise. I’m not gonna sit back and let this happen.”