City expands Mano y Mano day labor program to address ‘hot spots’

The Mano y Mano day labor program provides a crew to travel to “hot spots” around the city, helping to clean sites where homeless people are encamped and to provide outreach services to the people living at those sites.

The program is under the City of Las Cruces, whose council voted unanimously at its July 5 regular meeting to expand the program.

Under the expansion, three crew members, referred by the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH) and struggling with homelessness themselves, and supervised by staff from the Parks and Recreation Department and other city programs, will be sent to homeless encampments in front of businesses, in city parks, along canals and elsewhere to clean up trash and other debris at those sites and connect the people living there with services to help get them off the street.

“I think this program does such good work,” Councilor Becki Graham said at the meeting. The expansion of Mano y Mano to address the “the cleanup of some of the nuisance issues” and provide services will “hopefully (help) people move into better situations for themselves,” Graham said.

The expansion is “another item to help combat what we’ve been seeing,” Councilor Tessa Abeyta said. Abeyta was among elected officials and community leaders who attended a May meeting in Las Cruces during which business owners complained about theft and vandalism they said was being committed by homeless people.

“I think this is a great program to expand,” Abeyta said; “something that our city really needs right now.”

“I’m one of these day laborers. I will give 200 percent to help alleviate this problem,” Richard Barela said during public input on the proposed expansion.

“We wanted to come up with as many solutions as possible to address homelessness,” MVCH Executive Director Nicole Martinez said. There is “a need for more services for our community. We wanted to help,” she said.

People sign up at MVCH each weekday morning to participate in Mano y Mano that day, Martinez said. They are chosen by lottery and assigned to a work crew. Those who are chosen are paid minimum wage and given lunch.

Many have used the money they earn through Mano y Mano to pay security deposits “to get into housing,” Martinez said, and to pay rent, utility and phone bills. The program also “makes people feel good having put in a day’s work,” she said.

Martinez said MVCH has served 500-600 people through Mayo y Mano since the program began in 2015.

Mano y Mano is “a public health and safety initiative building a bridge to needed resources and services for vulnerable unhoused residents,” the city said.

It began seven years ago with one crew of 10 people working two days a week assisting Parks and Rec staff with landscape beautification, garbage removal and other tasks, the city said. The program expanded to two crews of 20 people working five days a week with an annual budget of $412,000. The expansion approved July 5 adds $93,000 to the program’s FY2023 budget.