ALAMOSA — During Wednesday night’s Alamosa City Council meeting, homelessness in several areas was a topic of discussion. 

Donna Wehe, who chairs the Alamosa Homeless Coalition, briefed the council on the coalition’s activities over the past year.  

The coalition, she said, was happy to see that Horizon Heights was “up and running. It makes a big difference in the lives of the people who live there.” 

She also spoke about an educational video the coalition had been working on, showcasing the achievements made by the city of Alamosa, hopefully “squelching” the perception that Alamosa “only spends money on the homeless.”  

Discussion of what rules the coalition should suggest be implemented at the St. Benedict homeless camp consumed the coalition’s time and attention in the past year, along with city rules related to panhandling, no camping in tents and the low barrier winter shelter that was, for a time, being considered by La Puente and the city.  

Wehe was followed by Alamosa Police Department Sergeant William Squires, who briefed city council members on the status of St. Benedict, the homeless encampment located in Alamosa that has been the topic of much discussion since it was opened. 

Squires, who took over for former Alamosa Police Department Captain Sam Maestas after he took a position at Adams State University, has been in his position overseeing St. Benedict operations and supervising related staff since “mid to late September.” 

According to comments from council members, the update Squires provided was the first time they had gotten specific data on “what was going on,” as Councilor Carson put it, since the camp first opened. 

The context of the update related to action taken at the council’s Oct. 16 meeting where a motion was passed by unanimous vote, implementing a new set of rules that people living in the camp would be obligated to follow. The rules ranged from cleanliness to pets to bullying to actively engaging in services. Failure to abide by the rules would carry the possible contingency of people being “trespassed” from the camp. 

Squires started off with a description of significant events, including the week of Oct. 13 when they had 13 overdoses in one week. Drug usage is prohibited in the camp.  

Since he took over as supervising the camp, there have been five people “trespassed,” including the man who was known to be “the bully,” the individual who was selling drugs, one individual who was disposing of needles in the road or in bushes plus two for assault or other criminal acts. 

They have also provided 35 bus tickets for people, a number which is twice the number provided for all of 2024 up to mid-to-late September when he took over. 

Squires told council the new rules went into effect on Dec. 2. In preparation for the implementation, he and his staff posted signs about the changes for the five weeks prior to the change and had weekly meetings with the camp residents to explain the rules and answer any questions.  

Members of Squires’ team – including co-responders and Community Service Officers (CSO) – have also been going from camp to camp, getting signatures from residents that they would abide by the rules.  

“There are 22 occupied camps,” Squires said, “and 29 residents of the camp have signed the rules. Three of those 29 are visitors, and they signed the rules, too.”  

CSOs were also assuring compliance with the rules. If a camp was out of compliance, a notice was posted. “All the issues with compliance were related to cleanliness.”  

The notice informed the resident that they had 48 hours to get into compliance or face possible trespass.  

“It wasn’t a firm deadline,” Squires said. “CSOs and co-responders were helping with trash and cleaning up. If they’re willing to sign the rules, we want to help.” 

Out of the 22 camps where notices were posted, four were determined to be abandoned “or people left because of the rules.” All of those camps will be cleaned up with removal of large items. Eight camps were in compliance. 

Squires also told council that people are being tracked on various areas, such as do they have pets, have they had visitors, are they participating in cleans ups as required by the rules.  

He also sent a CSO to “unsheltered camp training” and learned that Alamosa is following best practice rules but the city has been more than typically lenient in enforcement. 

City Manager Heather Sanchez also told council that, since the new rules were put in place and Squires began working with the team, calls dispatching officers to the camp have dropped to only six calls in a month. 

Squires couldn’t say exactly how much of a decrease that was but it was a “definitely drastic” decrease in calls. 

When the update was complete, Councilor Carson praised Squires and his team. “This is awesome,” he said. “It’s the first real thorough update we’ve gotten. What you’re doing makes this a whole new game. The way you’re doing things is the way it was intended to work.” 

Councilor Hensley praised Squires and the team, as well. “I appreciate the data. I appreciate the culture you’re creating but you’re also doing it with empathy. Empathy but also imposing consequences.” 

Councilor Krebs that what she was hearing was “what I always wanted to see – a steppingstone to a better situation.”  

She asked how staff was responding to the changes, and Squires said they were motivated. “They’re seeing leadership out there. I’m out there, the chief is out there and we’re working right alongside everybody else. Patrol officers are even coming out and they like the way things are cleaning up.” 

Squires said that, on Dec. 12, the “way the camp looks” will be even more greatly improved than it already is as a crew has been hired to come out and remove all the “big items” in a big item cleanup.