CITY OF ESPANOLA NEWS RELEASE
As City of Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil launches bold initiatives to address homelessness issues in the City, his administration finds itself having to dispel rumors as naysayers on social media undermine what the City is trying to accomplish.
“It’s easy to get people to agree that something needs to be done to address homeless issues when you have a group of decision makers in a meeting,” Vigil said, adding that “the challenge is to implement real solutions that help the unhoused population, while also understanding and respecting the impact any solution may have on the community. Ultimately, however, there must be action. We must move forward and try to find workable solutions.”
Vigil put his words into action on February 27 when the City of Española designated a parcel of City-owned property off of Fairview Lane near the Rio Grande as a temporary homeless encampment after tribal officials began removing an encampment on tribal land within City limits. The City is providing trash pickup services at the location.
“We immediately found a temporary location for the people being displaced,” Vigil said, referring to the Fairview encampment. “We know it is not an ideal location for long term use.”
As the City makes plans to continue its efforts to seek real solutions, Vigil’s administration finds itself caught up in misinformation being spread on social media about possible relocation sites, including the unincorporated community of Chamita in rural Rio Arriba County.
“An individual who is not affiliated with the City of Española proposed moving the encampment to Chamita,” Vigil said, “Chamita is about 10 miles north of Española. There are no services there that would help the people being displaced. It is not a good solution. Someone outside of the City administration suggested a solution that won’t work. Pushing people away is not a solution, and it’s not a direction my administration is going to take, but we need to have meaningful input on these issues. We may get ideas that won’t work, but we need to let people put everything on the table if we’re going to find workable solutions. The person who suggested the Chamita relocation didn’t mean to cause so much controversy, but it was an idea that was never going to work, and it was not considered by my administration.”
Vigil’s administration created the City’s first Social Services Department, and is in the process of hiring its first Social Services Director. “We are going to keep moving forward. We are not going to just ignore the issue or push it away. As we move forward, I want people to be able to be a part of the solution. That means ideas may come up that won’t work. That’s what happened here. The City of Española is not relocating the homeless encampment to Chamita. We never considered that proposal.”
As Vigil works to reassure the community that his administration is not seeking to push the homeless population out into Rio Arriba County, rumors have begun spreading on social media.
“All I can do is remind everyone that it is easy to post negative comments on Facebook. I don’t want to discourage anyone trying to come up with ideas. If you want to know what’s really happening, ask me. Ask my City Manager. Attend Council meetings and see for yourself what we’re trying to do.”
For more information, contact City Manager Eric Lujan at (505) 747-6100 or Executive Administrator Esperanza Trujillo at (505) 747-6054.