Facing the Critics

DESK WORK: His desk buried in paperwork, Jeremy Reynalds explains that as Joy Junction has grown, he has had to become more of an administrator.

One of his critics, Ralph DiPalma, is a volunteer street minister who has been working with Albuquerque's homeless for nearly 30 years. He says homeless people have been complaining to him about Joy Junction for the 13 years the shelter has operated.

Among the complaints are that the food is of poor quality and variety; that Joy Junction turns down some donations of food; that the buildings are dirty, badly maintained and crawling with bugs; and that homeless people are not treated with respect and are told to leave for the slightest rule infraction.

Reynalds says that he has never once been approached by DiPalma with any of these concerns. Nevertheless, his response is unequivocal. It is true that Joy Junction has turned down offers for food, Reynalds says. But under Bernalillo County Health Department regulations the shelter is not allowed to serve food from cans that have been dented or disfigured; it cannot serve food that has been noncommercially cooked, such as leftovers from private parties at people's homes; and it cannot serve non USDA approved meats, including deer or elk from local hunters.

Jackie Bellanger, a senior health inspector with the Bernalillo County ' Environmental Health Department, says allegations of bug infestations are "absolutely untrue." A licensed pest control agency regulations treats the property, she says, and the buildings are kept in "a very sanitary and livable condition."

Anytime Reynalds is in doubt about something, or thinks something may not be up to code, "he will call and request an inspection and our assistance," Bellanger says. "You don't get too many people asking us for inspections, especially places that house the homeless."

If DiPalma has lingering questions about Joy Junction's funding, Reynalds says, it's probably because he's not seen an audit or . spoken with any of the five members of the shelter's board of directors.

One of the board members, the Rev. Peter Bradford, who serves as the secretary-treasurer, says there is ample oversight of Joy Junction.

Bradford, an urban missionary with the Assemblies of God in East Los Angeles, has been on Joy Junction's board since the shelter was formed. The board members regularly talk via telephone conference call. "We make inquiries about finances. including land purchases, and we make suggestions and give advice,''` Bradford says.

"All the audits taken place so far have been unqualified audits, which means there were no recommendations on how things can be done any better than they're already being done," he says. "It's very rare to get an unqualified audit."

Joy Junction is not a social service agency, Reynalds points out, hoping to correct a common misconception. All of Joy Junction's money comes from private donations. "We do not ask for, nor do we receive any federal, state or local funds," Reynalds says. "In actuality, we are a faith-based ministry."

Reynalds acknowledges that his reluctance to divulge his salary has added fuel to rumors among some homeless people that he is living in opulence. In fact, he and his family live on the Joy Junction campus in an old house that is modest by Albuquerque standards. His automobile is a no-frills 1994 Nissan Sentra with more than 105,000 miles on the odometer.

Joy Junction is classified by the Internal Revenue Service as a (501) (C) (3) church organization. As a result, salaries do not have to be made public, according Joy Junction business and operations manager Frank Tercero. Release of such information would be a violation of policy as set by the board of directors, he said.

Staying Together

DINNER VISIT: Jeremy Reynalds, left, visits with Alex Alvara and his family during an evening meal at Joy Junction.

The normal length of stay at Joy Junction is two or three months, though under special circumstances homeless people are allowed to stay longer.

For three years, Irene Alvara, her husband, Alex, and their five children have lived in a private room with a shared bathroom in a dormitory on the Joy Junction cam pus. They have only praise for the shelter.

They fled Los Angeles, where Alex got into drug, alcohol and gang-related problems, and where Alex accrued significant fines levied by the court. With the help of Joy Junction, Alex found steady work and paid off his debts. The older children got to regularly attend school. The family will soon move into their own Habitat for Humanity home in the South Valley.

Mandatory Bible study for Joy Junction residents has been "a blessing," says Irene Alvara, who calls her husband "a changed man, a better husband and a better father."

"Joy Junction allowed the family to stay together," she adds, and that's the most important thing."

©1999 Albuquerque Journal