Santa Fe staff present short-term homelessness plan focusing on micro communities, outreach and day services

Community Health and Safety Director Hammond Paul presented the city’s short-term plan to address visible unsheltered homelessness at a Quality of Life Committee meeting on March 20, emphasizing immediate interventions such as establishing populated temporary “micro communities,” expanding noncongregate shelter options, bolstering outreach and day services, and improving coordination with community providers.

The plan is framed as a set of immediate actions to alleviate acute public-health and public-safety pressures while city staff continue to plan long-term affordable housing, behavioral health and permanent supportive housing solutions.

Hammond Paul said the plan’s objectives are grouped into six areas: safety, security and stability; expanding noncongregate shelter; outreach and navigation services; bolstering day services; improving cross‑agency coordination; and data, policy and advocacy. He stressed the plan is not intended to be a substitute for longer-term affordable housing or behavioral-health system reforms.

Key near-term items described by staff include: an RFP for community-based public-safety teams (RFP closes March 24), expansion of micro communities (a goal of establishing at least two new temporary micro communities with about 50 units between them), master-lease arrangements for 25 motel rooms that began in early February, and a pilot day‑services center with the Salvation Army that was operating three days per week with a long-term goal of seven days or a 24/7 “one‑stop” day services model.

Hammond Paul said outreach work has been bolstered by LifeLink’s recently deployed five‑person outreach team that visits encampments and connects people with shelter and services. The city has funded storage solutions to allow people to store personal belongings securely, and leadership said they have encouraged congregate shelters to improve security operations; for example, Pete’s Place recently hired a full‑time security staff member and the city is working with shelter operators on site improvement plans.

Staff described the micro communities as temporary interventions intended to relieve pressure on streets and arroyos while longer-term, site-specific infrastructure and permanent housing are developed; city staff said those micro sites are designed with spine infrastructure (water, septic, electrical) so the parcels gain long-term development value after the temporary use ends. Hammond Paul said the city’s target is that micro communities should not remain longer than three years.

Staff provided figures: about 280 shelter beds are presently available in the city versus an estimated 400 people the city knows to be experiencing homelessness, leaving a shortfall of roughly 100 beds; Pete’s Place typically houses about 68–75 guests on a given night and Consuelo’s Place, a noncongregate site, houses about 64 guests. The department said some improvement in in‑facility calls for service has been recorded after shelters hired security staff.

Committee members raised repeated concerns about public safety, the presence of criminal actors who may exploit unsheltered populations, and the need for trauma‑informed behavioral‑health services and “warm handoffs” into treatment. Councilors requested detailed data on service recidivism (how often the same individuals repeatedly use city and nonprofit resources) and asked how the city is coordinating enforcement, outreach, and shelter improvements with the Police Department and other partners.

Hammond Paul said the city has funded a data‑analyst position to improve transparency and measureable outcomes and has funded code‑blue pop‑up shelters during winter events. He also said the city would pursue stronger coordination with county, hospital and faith community partners and explore creation of a standalone Office of Housing and Homelessness Services to centralize staffing and accountability.

Committee members asked for follow‑up on several items: the RFP timeline and award of community-based public‑safety teams, the planned locations and timelines for micro communities, progress on master-lease motel placements, details and results from the Salvation Army day‑services pilot, and staff-provided data on repeat service use. No formal council action or vote was taken at the meeting.