04-04-2025
Albuquerque church opens first ‘Safe Outdoor Space' in International District
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It's been a long time in the making for a Safe Outdoor Space designed to help the unhoused. The City of Albuquerque said the sanctioned homeless encampment is just a part of the solution to get people off the streets, but it didn't come without controversy. It's owned by the New Creation church in the heart of the International District, and city officials are encouraging more churches to come forward to operate these safe outdoor spaces.
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'We need like a 100 of these all over our city as soon as possible,' said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. His message was loud and clear: collaboration is needed to help tackle the problem of homelessness in the city.
On Thursday, the city celebrated the first official Safe Outdoor Space by New Creations church in the International District. It's an outdoor plot with tents and tiny rooms to shelter the unhoused. 'To welcome people off the streets into safe, secure, sanitary space. We will accommodate up to 10 individuals. They'll be given a tent, a sleeping bag, extra blankets, secured storage to store important documents,' said Pastor Jesse Harden.
In July 2022, the city updated its Integrated Development Ordinance to include safe outdoor spaces, which allows groups to use an empty plot of land as a legal homeless encampment. Several non-profits applied to operate those spaces, but they faced backlash from nearby neighborhoods and businesses, so it never came to fruition. 'But now, we changed some of the zoning and were asking people for something different,' said Mayor Keller.
The ordinance now permits smaller spaces to shelter ten people instead of 100. It also requires the spaces to be secured and to provide bathrooms, showers, and more. 'It also requires a number of things to help that individual get stable housing, get the mental health assistance, physical health assistance, food assistance,' said Maria Wolfe, innovations officer with the city's Health, Housing and Homelessness department.
New Creation Church is currently housing five people and plans to increase the capacity. They said individuals who stay there go through a background check before staying. The city said it's working on opening a space on city-owned land, and it's also working with community groups to find more areas in the coming weeks.
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