CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY SIXTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-24-41 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Renée Grout and Dan Champine
RESOLUTION
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Directing The Department Of Health, Housing, And Homelessness To Develop A Pilot And A Budget For A Program To Provide Day Labor For People Experiencing Homelessness For Fiscal Year 2025
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WHEREAS, homelessness remains a significant challenge affecting many individuals across our community, leading to hardships and barriers to stable employment opportunities; and
WHEREAS, people experiencing homelessness are sometimes excluded from the workforce for a variety of reasons, including lack of essential documents or lack of an address; and
WHEREAS, gainful and stable employment can improve an individual’s self-esteem and help an individual to become self-sufficient; and
WHEREAS, day labor programs have shown promise in providing temporary work opportunities that can empower homeless individuals to earn income and gain valuable skills; and
WHEREAS, integrating homeless individuals into day labor programs can offer a pathway toward financial stability and potentially break the cycle of homelessness; and
WHEREAS, a structured day labor program can offer support services such as job training, access to resources, and connections to social services crucial for homeless individuals seeking to rebuild their lives; and
WHEREAS, collaboration between local government, community organizations, and businesses is essential to establish and sustain a successful day labor program for homeless individuals; and
WHEREAS, creating a day labor program specifically tailored to the needs of homeless individuals aligns with our community's commitment to addressing homelessness with innovative and compassionate solutions; and
WHEREAS, the City’s defunct “There’s a Better Way” program took a proactive approach to provide support to homeless individuals and provided 6,666 jobs between 2015 and 2018; and
WHEREAS, the implementation of a day labor program can contribute positively to our community by fostering dignity, self-sufficiency, and hope among homeless individuals striving to transition into stable housing and employment.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. The Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness is directed to create a pilot program that provides day jobs to people experiencing homelessness.
SECTION 2. The Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness shall submit a proposed pilot program plan and budget to Council for approval within 60 days of this Resolution’s final approval.
SECTION 3. After Council has approved the Department's pilot program and budget and the program has begun operating, the Department shall convene a collaborative group that will meet bi-monthly to review the progress of the program. This group shall include at a minimum:
1) A representative from Health, Housing, and Homelessness;
2) A representative from each City department and any outside employers utilizing workers from the program;
3) A representative from Albuquerque City Council; and
4) A representative for any contractor(s) utilized to operate the program.
SECTION 4. SEVERABILITY. If any section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word, or phrase of this Resolution is for any reason held to be invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Resolution. The Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Resolution and each section, paragraph, sentence, clause, word or phrase thereof irrespective of any provision being declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalid.