ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Albuquerque says it has gotten a lot of questions about how they decide when to clear out a homeless camp. The Family and Community Services outlined the current policy Thursday.
Priority one on their list refers to camps the city tries to clear as quickly as possible. That category includes parks where there are children’s programs and areas around community centers. It also includes roads, medians, sidewalks, trails, footbridges, and anywhere with obvious drug use or other criminal activity. “We’re really worried people are in harm’s way themselves, or they’re putting a vehicle or somebody else into harm’s way which we don’t want,” said Carol Pierce, Family & Community Services.
Situations the city considers a lower priority include camps in underpasses that do not block a roadway, group encampments, and environments with lots of human waste or needles. In those cases, the city issues a 72-hour notice to clear out before they intervene.
The same goes for any camp that does not meet priority one or two criteria but that someone has reported as a nuisance.
