Weeks after Mayor Tim Keller told reporters the city needs 100 more Safe Outdoor Spaces for its homeless population, his plan to make the sites affordable collapsed in committee.
The Land Use, Planning and Zoning Committee voted 3-2 on Aug. 13 against cutting red tape, leaving the city with no clear way to reach Keller’s goal. That also leaves thousands of people with almost no legal options besides sleeping on the street.
Asked how the administration plans to move forward, city spokesperson Connor Woods said the city “continues to explore options” but gave no timeline, legislative plan or next step.
The numbers show why the mayor’s idea faces an uphill climb. In the past three years, the city has approved just one Safe Outdoor Space. At that pace, it would take centuries to reach 100. Each site also costs more than $100,000 a year to operate.
A Growing Need
Albuquerque has 2,740 people experiencing homelessness, including 1,231 living unsheltered, according to the latest Point-in-Time count. City crews clear about 200 encampments each week, according to Keller, but most people have nowhere to go except the city’s only legal camping site — a fenced area behind New Creation Church on Zuni Rd. SE, serving seven to 10 people.
“We think there’s at least 1,000 people on the street who would say yes to a Safe Outdoor Space,” Keller said at a July 28 press conference at the church site. “If you do that math, I think that’d be like 100 Safe Outdoor Spaces.”
The mayor said expanded Safe Outdoor Spaces could help people “who currently say no to the Gateway system and either are not ready for housing because of different situations in their lives, or there’s housing not available.”
Safe Space Roadblock
Three councilors blocked regulatory changes that would have made expanding Safe Outdoor Spaces more affordable. Councilors Renée Grout, Dan Champine and Brook Bassan voted against amendments proposed by Nicole Rogers and supported by Tammy Fiebelkorn that would have eased costly requirements.
“A lot of things happen at night, and there are a lot of churches that are in the middle of neighborhoods, and that’s scary to not have security available 24/7,” said Councilor Grout, explaining her opposition to relaxing the round-the-clock security mandate.
The committee voted 3-2 to send the legislation to full council with a “do not pass” recommendation, effectively killing the proposal.
“I am very disappointed. It seems like you’re just — I don’t know if you’re listening or this is just a farce,” said Pastor Jesse Harden, who operates the city’s only approved Safe Outdoor Space, during public comment at the committee meeting. “I don’t think that you’re trying to listen to understand. Your questions had an edge to them that did not have a heart or posture of listening or humility.”
Financial Reality
Current regulations require 24/7 on-site security, permanent shower facilities and dedicated space for service providers — costs that have proven prohibitive for most potential operators.
“If you pay someone minimum wage to be there 24/7, it’s over $100,000 a year,” Harden said. “So that, right there, eliminates 99% of people who try to do it.”
The numbers back him up. Since the Safe Outdoor Space ordinance took effect in 2022, only 11 applications have been submitted, according to Rogers. Five were denied, four were withdrawn, and just one was approved, with one remaining under review.
“I think it’s clear that, in three years, to only have 11 applicants, this isn’t working,” said Rogers, who sponsored the failed amendments. “It’s not working, and we need to do something to make it better.”
No Clear Path Forward
At the July press conference, Keller said he was “working with Councilor Nicole Rogers to revisit that and just make some tweaks” to the ordinance, with plans to bring changes to “full City Council later this fall.”
After the committee defeat, city officials gave no details on alternative approaches. Asked about next steps, spokesperson Connor Woods said only that “the administration continues to explore options to support new Safe Outdoor Space locations” without specifying what those options might be.
Rogers, who supported the failed amendments, did not respond to requests for comment on next steps.
The administration’s vague response contrasts with the mayor’s public statements. At the press conference, Keller said Safe Outdoor Spaces are essential to addressing street homelessness, adding, “we do need real scale” to make a meaningful impact.
Impact on the Streets
The policy dispute comes as Keller says city crews address about 200 encampments each week. While crews displace hundreds of people from parks, sidewalks and vacant lots, legal camping options remain extremely limited.
The city’s only operating Safe Outdoor Space has served 11 people since opening in April, according to Harden. Seven currently live there, with several others on a waiting list.
“We barbecue and stuff all the time,” said Michael Maldonado, 61, a resident of the site. “We all go out and get food for each other, whatever is needed. It’s a pretty tight community, and we help each other out.”
For Maldonado and his partner, the space offered stability after financial hardship left them unable to afford hotel rooms. But with room for just 10 people, the site serves only a tiny fraction of Albuquerque’s unsheltered population.
What’s Next
Without regulatory relief or new policies, the administration faces trying to reach its 100-space goal under rules that have produced just one approved site in three years.
City officials would not say whether they plan to reintroduce similar amendments, pursue executive actions or develop new strategies to overcome the regulatory barriers.
Meanwhile, crews continue weekly encampment clearings, with displaced residents typically moving to new locations instead of accessing the city’s limited Gateway shelters.
The administration continues to support Safe Outdoor Spaces, calling them “valuable points of entry and pathways to stability for our unhoused neighbors” that are “undoubtedly needed in our City,” according to Woods.
The city is “committed to helping those interested in opening a safe outdoor space navigate the regulatory process” and values partnerships with “faith-based organizations,” Woods said. But officials have not laid out a concrete plan to address the political and financial hurdles blocking expansion.