The streets of Albuquerque, New Mexico have been more clean and beautiful lately, and more free of panhandlers. Thanks to a project started by Mayor Richard Berry and run by a non-profit organization called St. Martin Hospitality Center, Albuquerque has been able to offer work for a day to the homeless population of Albuquerque. The St. Martin Hospitality Center is run by Father Rusty Smith.
Mayor Berry said that the idea came to him when he was driving one day and came upon a panhandler holding a sign saying "will work". He says he went back to his office and decided to give people the opportunity to do just that, to work. Currently, the homeless count in Albuquerque comes out to around 1,400. However, as Father Rusty says, the program also serves "the marginally poor" which he says means they serve around 7,000 people annually.
Besides offering both food and blankets, this particular program allows for people who are panhandling and/or homeless the opportunity to get picked up by city employees in city provided vans and be taken to parks or the sides of roads, or basically anywhere where they can do jobs like pull weeds or pick up garbage. Breakfast, lunch and a snack are all provided to workers, and instead of being cited by the city they are paid $9 an hour in cash by the city. They work up to five hours a day, two days a week. When their five hours are done, workers are given resources, such as mental health counseling.
The mental health of the homeless in Albuquerque came to light when the Albuquerque Police Department fatally shot a homeless man by the name of James Boyd. Father Rusty says that Boyd was a client of St. Martins and that he was responsible for burying him. Father Rusty also says that for people with mental health problems, working full-time jobs is especially difficult, which is why this program works so well. It allows people who have mental health problems the opportunity to get the help they need and to also earn some money.
St. Martins also offers a laundry service and hot showers to its clients free of charge. In addition, the City of Albuquerque has a housing program that allows for the homeless population to also get connected to homes.
Personally, I think this project is great. I agree wholeheartedly with Mayor Berry, who says that by implementing these programs they are able to keep the homeless out of jails and hospitals. The humanity of this project is one that allows for people to feel like they matter and like they are cared for. It also saves lives.
This particular project has caught the eye of several larger metropolitan areas across the country, including Seattle and Pittsburgh, both of which have large homeless populations. This program is still very new and it's long term effects haven't been calculated yet. However, having projects, programs and resources that help people aren't bad things. Over the next few years, I expect and hope that we will be seeing more programs like this one all around the country!
