Las Cruces City Council to discuss homelessness, hear presentation on county jail
Michael McDevitt
LAS CRUCES — City councilors will convene for a discussion on homelessness in Las Cruces Jan. 24, followed by a presentation on the conditions at the county jail.
Those items will be addressed during a work session immediately following a meeting of the Downtown Las Cruces Tax Increment Development District Board.
According to a news release, Monday’s discussion is being held in response to “the growing number of individuals experiencing homelessness locally and across the U.S.”
Between 15,000 and 20,000 New Mexicans experience homelessness each year, according to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, and about 6,548 people annually are homeless but lack the means or don't receive enough assistance to exit homelessness.
The release further states city staff and partners will present to the council on the overarching policy solutions to homelessness, local resources which exist and recommendations for how the council can reduce homelessness in the city.
Additionally, the council will hear a presentation on prisoner care from Bryan Baker, director of the Doña Ana County Detention Center.
Baker will present on detention center operations, the role of detention center leadership and staff, housing and capacity, services offered, the jail’s environment and availability of medical and mental health care.
The city council will also hear an update on the second phase of Realize Las Cruces, a two-year project to update the city's development codes.
The work session will begin immediately following the TIDD Board meeting at 1 p.m. Monday, during which the board will receive updates on the TIDD's financial status and current projects.
The TIDD Board meeting and work session will be held in council chambers at City Hall, streamed on YouTube at Youtube.com/user/CLCTV20 and broadcast on Comcast cable channel 20 or in high definition on Comcast channel 928.
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.