For a lot of people, the crisp autumn mornings are a friendly reminder that the holiday season is just around the corner. But for others, the falling leaves are a reminder of the harsh winter months to come.
According to data from the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, in 2013 there were almost 1,200 homeless people in Albuquerque. This number fell by more than 800 people after 2009, but there’s still work to be done.
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library lists 11 homeless shelters in the area. One of these is the St. Martin’s Hospitality Center.
Although it’s only a day shelter, St. Martin’s offers several essential services such as showers, clothing and full meals Monday through Friday. There’s also a behavioral health program and a job training program.
Some clients only show up once or twice, while others come on a regular basis. A Texas man who refers to himself as “Billy” is one of those regulars. Billy has spent 22 years of his life traveling the country. He gets rides whenever he can, never stressing out too much about when or where he is going next.
He said when he first got to St. Martin’s back in May, he got off on the wrong foot by having some issues with a security guard.
“I walked away from it, of course, and I decided to keep coming back,” he said.
His relationship with the staff eventually improved, and he decided to start helping to keep himself out of trouble.
“It don’t bother me. It gives me something to do,” he said.
With no special plans for the holidays, Billy said he will help at St. Martin’s or any other shelter that may be short-staffed. He said that by volunteering, he is not just helping others, he is also helping himself.
Lisa Nelson and Patricia Chavez are two volunteers who think the same way as Billy. They both describe the experience of volunteering as “rewarding.”
Nelson and Chavez organize donated clothes and help with distribution. One of St. Martin’s main goals is to help people maintain their dignity, so helping clients to look presentable is important.
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Chavez said it’s not uncommon for someone who received clothes one day to come back the next day with nothing, because people often get beaten on the street and have their possessions stolen.
“Their shoes are taken, their socks are taken. Sometimes their pants are taken,” she said.
Billy said someone stole his ID, so now he is working on getting a new one.
Chavez talked about how saddened she was to see “evil people” hurting others, but that it unfortunately happens often.
“They see people that are vulnerable, and they just take advantage of them,” Nelson added.
Chavez said this is the reason that places like St. Martin’s exist in the first place: to assists those who need a helping hand.
Billy describes all of the opportunities he’s been offered as “blessings,” so he does his best to pay it forward.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” he said. “Love all. Don’t hate no one. Be there for one another. Be friends. Be their comfort if they need it. That’s what I try to do.”
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @cisabelg.
