Anatomy of an encampment

A private dirt lot located one block north of East Central Avenue in Albuquerque’s International District recently saw a swell of activity from an illegal encampment. About 50 people experiencing homelessness were living on the site that functioned as a makeshift community. There was considerable trash on the street and reports of burglary, vandalism, public defecation and noise. Residents living near the encampment were distraught and concerned.

The city disbanded the site last week, and officials said circumstances at the encampment required the involvement of multiple departments. A high percentage of campers accepted offers for shelter and services prior to the sweep.

The encampment emerged on one of two residential dirt lots on the northwest corner of Utah Street and Chico Road NE, just north of Central Avenue. Residents living nearby said it was the second time in recent months that an encampment formed there.

Now there is a fence around the vacant lot.

“It’s been coming and going. They’ve kicked them out before, but this is the first time they put a gate up,” said a man named Alan, who rents an apartment directly across from the site.  

He said the encampment was “noisy” and that his apartment was burglarized more than once while he was working the night shift at a nearby Blake’s Lotaburger.

A woman named Brandi described the encampment as “chaotic.” She was lucky, she said, because it was broken up just three days after she moved into her apartment.

“Thank God because I have two teenage girls,” she said. “I understand things, but I have children. So I’m super thankful. It makes you feel uncomfortable, you know?” 

Meanwhile, business owner Jerry Hong said his property was vandalized and that he regularly cleaned up human feces, syringes and condoms from the parking lot of his wholesale rug operation.

“It was a big mess and smelled so bad,” he said. “It was terrible.”

Hong said he bought his building about three months ago and has lived in Albuquerque for 20 years.

“I feel much better now. I feel sorry for them,” he said. “Everybody needs a place to stay, but this is not the right place.”

City’s response, strategy

Those involved in providing services for those experiencing homelessness say encampments are a concern not only for those living nearby but also for those living in it. Encampments with more than 10 people are often deemed biohazards with increased disease risk. Those living in the camps are also at higher risk of sex trafficking, assault and other crimes.

The city has been criticized in the past for its encampment sweeps and overuse of law enforcement, particularly at a time when there is an emergency shortage of affordable housing options and shelters scramble to provide enough beds. 

But the issue of encampment sweeps, and a slew of lawsuits challenging them, is not just germane to Albuquerque, but one that cities across the country are grappling with. It’s an issue the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this summer, based on a case out of Grants Pass, Oregon.

The city has been given credit by homeless service providers and others, however, for use of its Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) Department, which sends trained staff with backgrounds in behavioral and mental health to nonviolent and nonmedical situations that often involve those experiencing homelessness.

Jodie Jepson, the homelessness liaison administrator for ACS, was dispatched to the Utah/Chico site. She’s been doing street outreach for 22 years, previously as an addiction counselor at HopeWorks and as the deputy director of Albuquerque Heading Home. Jepson was also part of the Albuquerque Police Department’s former Crisis Outreach and Support Team (COAST) as a homelessness liaison. 

“I’ve walked with a lot of folks to better understand the barriers and challenges in the system — serving those most likely to die on our streets,” Jepson said. “There’s not a lot of trust.”

Jepson said the city has built up trust among those experiencing homelessness through its Connect to Care events where representatives from University of New Mexico Hospital provide street medicine (wound care and antibiotic and medication distribution) and the city offers other services.

Jepson said the Utah/Chico encampment was unique compared to, for example, the Coronado Park encampment that was disbanded in the summer of 2022. An estimated 100 people were living at the city-owned park at the time.

“This particular encampment was not that large,” she said. “It was also more of a code enforcement and Planning [Department] situation due to the fact that it was on private property.”

Nevertheless, Jepson said her team, including former ACS director Mariela Ruiz-Angel (now an associate chief administrative officer) and representatives from HopeWorks, engaged with leaders of the Utah/Chico encampment in advance of the sweep and the arrival of law enforcement.

“We were out there assessing and meeting folks. We got to know them and their stories,” she said. “We try to be super strategic so that people can have time and we can offer support and help them. I’m hopeful about this process.” 

She said 30 people used storage bins for their personal belongings; some were transported to the Westside Emergency Housing Center; and others were given motel vouchers. Case management services were offered and information was distributed about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

Although some left without accepting services, Jepson was impressed by the number who did.

“We’re estimating an 80% success rate — close to double what we normally see people accepting,” she said.

‘Things are starting to move’

Jepson said helping those who are experiencing homelessness requires multiple techniques, including a more informed, empathetic public.

“I’m a big believer in housing first. Once you can house an individual you can better assess and serve them based on their individual needs,” she said. “But a lot of what the community is not aware of is there are highly acute individuals who are unable to navigate resources. There’s tons of traumatic brain injury, cancer, diabetes, people in wheelchairs, paralyzed.”

Jepson said improvements at the Westside Emergency Housing Center and increasing bed capacities at the Gateway Center at Gibson Health Hub, along with housing vouchers, are making a difference. 

“People are having conversations and things are starting to move,” she said.