Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — Those people that are unhoused or near homeless have the opportunity to find paid work through the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope’s “Mano y Mano Day Labor” program. Initiated in 2018, the program has a lottery draw to select 20 people out of the 75-100 people who sign up for work opportunities. The shifts are five hours — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. — after the daily lottery selection. Labor mainly surrounds landscaping, picking up litter and cleaning up “hotspots” aka, (abandoned camps). Workers don’t have to be homeless. The Community of Hope’s employees said the program will take anyone willing to work, but those that are homeless are referred to as “regulars.” People who aren’t picked but show up three days in a row are given vouchers to be automatically selected their fourth day. Individuals are only allowed to work in the program once a week due to the high demand.
