Business owners push for sanctioned homeless encampment at Albuquerque Westside Shelter

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A group of Albuquerque businesses is pushing to set up a sanctioned homeless encampment at the Westside shelter. The Greater Albuquerque Business Alliance met Thursday night to discuss how to move forward once the campers are cleared out of Coronado Park.

Mayor Tim Keller announced the city would close the problem-plagued park near 3rd and I-40 sometime in August but that the city was still working on what to do next. One possibility, the mayor said, would be to turn the park into a sanctioned encampment but the business alliance says they do not want to see campers return. “Talking about treatment, the resources to go to them instead of them walking down sidewalks like they do in our neighborhood,” said Connie Vigil, Greater Albuquerque Business Alliance.

The remote shelter west of town near Double Eagle Airport requires people to be shuttled in and out by bus. The alliance would rather see an expansion of services there. Mayor Keller says other possibilities for Coronado Park include reopening it as a public park or giving it to the fire department for a station expansion.