A hand up, not a handout

Amador Crossing construction continues on Amador Avenue, on the back doorstep of our business. The streets, sidewalks, ditches and empty parking lots in the area are inundated with tents of people, presumably waiting for their spot in the brand-new $350,000 apartments when the project is completed.

That’s $350,000 for one-bedroom and studio apartments. The facility will have 50 such apartments. You can do the math.

The number of homeless individuals staggering about in the area, screaming obscenities at no one and clearly struggling with their mental health, as well as those openly consuming illicit substances, far outnumber the 50 units that will soon be available.

City staff have indicated, and in fact, were adamant that the facility would have no rules, no “barriers” to folks living there – no curfew, no sobriety requirements, no job training.

If many of New Mexico’s problems could be solved with money, they would have been solved long ago. The state throws millions of dollars at solving the homeless crisis, and yet, rather than solving it, or at least making substantial gains toward solving it, it continues to grow.

The progressive theory is support without strings. Unconditional hand-outs. Blind philanthropy. Many people who give the guy on the corner $20 out of their car window, will themselves not think about what he might spend it on. They choose to hope it won’t be to perpetuate his drug addiction. And that notion is noble, but not realistic.

If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend researching what Colorado has done to address the emergency shelter and homeless housing situation. Boulder Bridge House in Boulder and The Delores Project in Denver are both shining examples of a multi-layered, hand-up approach to helping those experiencing homelessness.

Participants start in a dorm-style housing facility, where they do chores, remain sober and attend job and life training classes. After a period of time living by the rules, they graduate to an apartment and eventually tiny homes.

This structured system gives participants a sense of empowerment and pride, working their way up to independence and hope.

In Las Cruces, this model is successful at Gospel Rescue Mission. But it has rules for sobriety and visitors. If all you know is a life on the street, consumed by substances, surrounded by those with similar addictions, this model of help doesn’t look very appealing when you can walk across the street and find no such requirement for accountability.

In Las Cruces, to replicate a multi-layered, structured system, let’s consider an emergency shelter. A dormitory-type facility where someone in crisis can raise their hand and say, “I need help.”

Right now, beds are scarce. This should include separate sleeping areas for domestic violence victims, foster children aging out of CYFD, newly homeless individuals and those in crisis. We need to be able to provide a reliable foundation where someone’s lengthy path to sobriety can begin.

Graduating out of this situation should include moving into apartments or a converted motel. If you’ve driven down Valley lately, towards Mayfield High School, you may have noticed that BOXABL has set up a sample tiny home. These are available for less than $100,000, meaning you can buy seven for every two at Amador Crossing.

The city has thousands of acres of fallow land where a tiny home village could include a garden, community center, playground and other supportive community structures that can support those who have already shown they are committed to bettering themselves.

Amador Crossing could be a part of this multi-layered approach, if rules are implemented and milestones established for residents to earn these accommodations. They are building them – might as well use them, but use them with purpose, toward a goal.

New Mexico wins at hand-outs. Let’s look to our Northern cousins and try something new with our tax dollars. Colorado has created a model by which New Mexico can finally give struggling residents a hand up.

It’s hard to shift gears. It’s hard to try something new. It’s hard to admit that you need help. But if a homeless drug addict can work towards success and sobriety by earning a place back in our society in Colorado, surely our elected officials in New Mexico can try something new in ways to help those who want it. Because what we’re doing currently is a very expensive way to fail.

Shawna Pfeiffer is a life-long Dona Ana County Resident, graduate of NMSU, small business owner, hobby farmer, dog-lover, outdoor enthusiast and mother to two young children. She can be reached at srpfeiffer1@gmail.com.