CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-22-36 ENACTMENT NO. ______________________
SPONSORED BY: Fiebelkorn, Benton, Davis
RESOLUTION
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Directing The City Administration To Develop Operating Procedures For Safe Outdoor Spaces (Fiebelkorn, Benton, Davis)
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WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque’s most recent 2021 Point-In-Time Count showed at least 1,567 people in Albuquerque were experiencing homelessness; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque currently does not have enough shelter space to house the entire homeless population in Albuquerque; and
WHEREAS, the current crisis of homelessness is impacted by a broad number of other societal challenges, including the growth of poverty and inequity, and the erosion of state and federal investments in our criminal justice, mental health, substance abuse, foster care, and safety net systems, which have compounded a crisis that requires the response of not just government, but the entire community; and
WHEREAS, unregulated homelessness encampments can be found in all areas of the City in various, often unsafe, places; and
WHEREAS, service providers report difficulty in providing services to homeless individuals on an ongoing basis due to the transient nature of homeless; and
WHEREAS, many individuals who are experiencing homelessness report barriers to staying in congregate shelters where they are forced to separate overnight from a spouse or an animal; and
WHEREAS, individuals experiencing homelessness deserve safety with ability to maintain similar autonomy to what housed individuals might enjoy; and
WHEREAS, many cities nationally are experiencing great success with Safe Outdoor Space concepts; and
WHEREAS, the City's focus on solutions for people who are homeless should be a roof-over-head and services to connect individuals with a pathway toward long-term housing, however, the current capacity of our housing and homeless services continuum cannot meet the needs of all those who are homeless and, as an alternative, Safe Outdoor Spaces can offer a sense of safety and community while seeking longer-term housing options; and
WHEREAS, Safe Outdoor Spaces would be a first step in stabilizing a homeless individual’s situation so the individual can focus on longer-term stability, including permanent housing and wrap-around services; and
WHEREAS, the 2021 annual update to the City’s Integrated Development Ordinance contemplates the addition of a specific land use designation titled “Safe Outdoor Spaces” that would be allowed either conditionally or permissively in certain zone districts; and
WHEREAS, the implementation of the Safe Outdoor Spaces concept will require certain procedures and safeguards to be in place that may be beyond the general scope of the IDO; and
WHEREAS, the intent of this resolution is to direct the development of such procedures and safeguards to help ensure that the Safe Outdoor Spaces concept can be implemented as effectively as possible while managing the potential impacts of these unique land uses.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The Family and Community Services Department, the Environmental Health Department and the Albuquerque Community Safety Department, and/or any other relevant department as determined by the City Administration, are directed to develop operating procedures for Safe Outdoor Spaces that promote the health, safety, and welfare of the served population, while helping to mitigate potential impacts on the surrounding communities. The operating procedures for safe outdoor spaces should, at a minimum, address the following:
1. Management plans or security agreements to ensure the safety of individuals occupying the designated spaces.
2. Guidance on the layout and spacing of tent sites
3. A description of the types of social services and support facilities
required at each Safe Outdoor Space
4. A good neighbor agreement with directly impacted neighbors.
5. Ongoing community and resident involvement programs.
SECTION 2. The City Administration shall submit the operating procedures described in Section ‘1’ to the City Council for its receipt. This submission shall be made to the Clerk of the Council in the form of an Executive Communication by no later than August 1, 2022.