She said the hotel spends about $ 20,000 a month on 24/7 security, but that’s not enough.
“It’s gotten worse and the homeless got a little bit more violent. The smuggling of our guests around the parking lot, you know the ones who come into the hotel,” said Jones.
She and another hotelier in the same Midtown neighborhood – from Suburban Extended Stay off Menaul – brought their concerns to Albuquerque City Council last week.
“It started in the summer with just hanging around. I caught young people using drugs in our stairwells, I found needles on the property,” said Veronica Hermann, manager of the Suburban Extended Stay.
“This is not the lasting impression we should have on the families and travelers who pass through our state,” said Jones.
Meanwhile, the city’s newest division, Albuquerque Community Safety, is working to address some of these issues. More than 500 calls have been answered since the branch was founded in early September.
“Our police and fire departments have been severely overwhelmed by situations involving backgrounds and underlying mental and behavioral health issues for many years,” said Mariela Ruiz-Angel, director of the community security department.
Ruiz-Angel said a large percentage of these calls were to the homeless population.
“It made it possible for us to really be with these churches and really work with these families. We can even help with basic needs like food and water, ”said Ruiz-Angel.
But the respondents also recognize that housing can only be one of several resources that people need.
“We really try to look at the ‘what to do first’ things, even if we put someone in an apartment, if they can’t stand it because they have mental or behavioral health problems, they would be back on the streets in a flash bring. “Said Ruiz-Angel.
The department is actively recruiting and plans to have more units on the road soon. Jones can’t wait to see the impact of her work in her neighborhood.
“It’s really heartbreaking to say to our guests, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry you had this experience walking through Albuquerque,'” said Jones.
The recently approved public safety bond includes $ 7 million in funding for a security center for the Albuquerque community in the International District. The responders will be based there and it will be open to the community.
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