Joy Junction has stepped up its efforts to provide Albuquerque's homeless with a warm meal and shelter since the recent spell of cold weather.
As the state's largest homeless shelter, Joy Junction operates buses that search the streets of the city every night of the year looking for people in need of a warm bed, said Jeremy Reynalds, the shelter's executive director.
"During the summer we take a reactive approach, picking up people only when they have called," Reynalds said. "During the winter, when the temperature drops dramatically, we have to be proactive in our approach."
Since its inception in 1986, Joy Junction has served more than 5,000 people a year on its 52 acres in Albuquerque's South Valley.
Reynalds said on many nights the shelter's 150 bedroom dormitory is filled to capacity.
Receiving no government funding, Reynalds faces the difficult task of running the shelter solely on "whole-hearted generosity from the community."
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"It's a difficult situation, but we provide an essential resource to the community so we do what we have to do," said Reynalds, an ordained Christian minister who earned his bachelor and master's degrees at UNM. "Thankfully, many people do what they can to help us."
Reynalds said he campaigns nonstop for donations for the shelter, which is "much more than just a shelter."
School attendance is mandatory for all school-age children staying at Joy Junction. He said everyone staying there has to abide by a number of rules designed to give them the ability to succeed in life.
Those rules include showering daily, no profanity, no physical or verbal abuse and adhering to a strict dress code.
In addition, all men, single women and couples without children must leave the premises by 7 a.m. Monday through Friday to seek employment and can't return before 4:30 p.m.
"We want these people to live happy, successful lives," Reynalds said. "We do everything we can to give them the tools to do just that."
He said although money is always tight, several amenities have been added to Joy Junction over the years, including a laundry facility, computer classes and a shuttle that transports visitors of the shelter into the city.
Most importantly, though, he said, is a "life skills" program aimed at educating the shelter's tenants about life's "basic skills."
The Christ in Power Program helps visitors of Joy Junction learn how to get and keep a job, Reynalds said. It also helps them establish residency and employment history.
Many visitors of the shelter said they are thankful for the services Joy Junction provides and the steps taken to help them build a future.
Edna Spitz, an Albuquerque resident who has been at Joy Junction for two and a half months, said she didn't know what she would do without the shelter.
"Not only do they go out of their way to make sure we have a warm bed and a nice meal, they teach us anger and time management courses so we will be better off when we leave," Spitz said.
Reynalds said visitors to the shelter are allowed to stay as long as they need to get back on their feet.
"It really is a godsend," Spitz said. "I don't know what I would have done without their help."
Reynalds said donations are always accepted. Joy Junction's telephone number is 1-800-924-0569.
