Shelter's Uncertain Future

The City of Santa Fe has not renewed its lease of the old Pete's Pets building with the nonprofit Interfaith Community Shelter Group that rents the 2801 Cerrillos Road space, says the group's chairman Guy Gronquist.

The city owns the building, and its delay in renewing the lease for the shelter has had a chilling effect on the nonprofit's fundraising, Gronquist says, including a $25,000 pledge by a donor that he says the group cannot accept "in good conscience" if it doesn't have a commitment from the city that it will still be able to manage the space—the city's only homeless shelter that allows inebriated guests in the winter and a place where other providers offer services for the homeless throughout the year.

Since September, the group has been using the space—for which the city ponied up nearly $1 million under Mayor David Coss' administration—on a month-to-month basis. Overnight services began for the season in mid October.

In the past, the city has paid the nonprofit to provide services in the space—$35,000 in 2012—as well as put up money for utility costs of the building.

Gronquist says the building meets the needs requested by the city, including its visibility requested by police, centralized location so the homeless can get there easier and proximity to a bus line.

Just how the charitable organization has delivered those services for the homeless has come under scrutiny, however. On Wednesday, city councilors plan to consider a resolution by District 3 Councilor Chris Rivera that would direct staff to convene with agencies to evaluate the management structure of the shelter "and facility to analyze whether or not the shelter meets the short term needs of the homeless community and provide recommendations for bettering the site for the 2014-15 winter season."

Santa Fe Reporter