Las Cruces councilors fund third vehicle for day labor program for unhoused residents

LAS CRUCES - A day labor program serving unhoused and housing insecure residents will receive an additional vehicle to accommodate more workers using funding approved by the Las Cruces City Council.

On Tuesday, the city council voted 5-0 on a $93,000 budget adjustment to expand the Mano Y Mano Day Labor program by adding a third vehicle. City councilors Kasandra Gandara and Johana Bencomo were absent. The regular meeting was held July 5 due to the July 4 holiday.

The Mano Y Mano program is operated by the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, a local nonprofit which provides services to unhoused and housing insecure residents. The program provides one-day employment for unhoused and housing insecure residents along with connections and referrals to social services. Day laborers, who make minimum wage and work for five hours a day, assist with "landscape beautification, garbage removal, and other tasks on city property."

"We've had so many people who have used their money from doing Mano Y Mano to pay their security deposit to get into housing. They'll pay for utility bills, cell phone bills, rental assistance," said MVCH Executive Director Nicole Martinez.

The program started as a pilot program after a council resolution in 2018 and is based off a similar program in Albuquerque.

The program began with one work van carrying up to 10 people and operating two days per week, but it's now expanded to include two vans carrying up to 20 people and operates five days per week. The expansions have been supported through city funding.

A third vehicle will provide for more flexibility, since the current program operates on a strict schedule with preset locations, Martinez said.

"It gives those an opportunity to have a job and a little bit (of) responsibility, make some money (for) themselves … and hopefully eventually moves them into that category where they're starting to take care of themselves and eventually become very responsible and hopefully have their own place down the road," Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima said during discussion on the expansion.

The new vehicle will be a Ford F250 truck that can carry up to five people. The truck will travel to "hot spots" for homeless encampments citywide based on resident recommendations. The truck will carry a supervisor with lived experience, up to three laborers and a street outreach team member who can engage with unhoused people on site to offer services provided through MVCH while laborers clean up.

With the council vote, the program's budget will increase from $412,000 to $505,000. Las Cruces Housing and Neighborhood Services Manager Natalie Green said the budget increase is just for one year. The city council would need to reauthorize it next year.

"I'm … so happy to be able to consider this expansion," said District 3 Councilor Becki Graham. "I think this program does so much good work simultaneously."

District 2 Councilor Tessa Abeyta said she believes the expansion will help address increasing concerns about homelessness in the city.

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Michael McDevitt is a city and county government reporter for the Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-202-3205, mmcdevitt@lcsun-news.com or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces funds third vehicle for day labor program for unhoused