It was a devastating blow for Dawn Legacy Pointe following a request to deny its application for a Safe Outdoor Space, approved by the city of Albuquerque in 2022. "I was angry. We think the hearing officer's decision is ill-advised. There's a lot of people who have volunteered their time to help get this going. It's incredible to me people would be afraid of 50 homeless abused women — and would be reluctant to them get off the street," Bradley Day with Dawn Legacy Pointe said. "How are we going to provide services to these women to help them either gain employment, get more education, and turn their lives around so they're not homeless and being abused on the streets of Albuquerque."On Thursday, a notice was sent to Dawn Legacy Pointe, stating the city breached its own Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO). The land use hearing officer (LUHO) sided with seven groups that filed appeals against the nonprofit's property — citing multiple issues. "We clearly stated to the land use hearing officer it's inhumane to place these women in tents. They should be in a facility," Martineztown-Santa Barbara Neighborhood Association's president, Loretta Naranjo Lopez said. "We're very pleased with the land use hearing officer's decision and we're asking the city council to listen to their constituents and to the will of the people and to vote against the safe outdoor space at 1250 North Northeast. This is not the right location for this type of facility.""It doesn't get down to the root of the problem. They're trying to put band-aids all over and not deal with the root of the problem. There's a lot of money that needs to be put into these areas of housing rehab programs where they're in a facility, where they can be treated for that and can be given the right services to get them off the street," Lopez continued. Despite opposition, Day said they refuse to give up. "We will definitely continue to move forward. I had a commercial property owner actually call me and volunteer his property — which is big enough to accommodate 50 people for a safe outdoor space — as a result of the publicity that has been surrounding this issue," he said. We reached out to Albuquerque City Council on its appeal process. They sent KOAT a statement in part:"The city council will take up the LUHO's recommendation at the April 3, 2023, City Council Meeting. Since it's a closed record appeal, it would be inappropriate to comment on the substance of the matter at this time."Day said Dawn Legacy Pointe intends to resubmit its application for approval and provide sufficient evidence to support its claims. "The land use hearing officer's decision makes our desire even stronger to get these safe outdoor spaces in place, so we can help the people who are on the streets of Albuquerque —help them get a safe place to stay," he said.