Dream of place for hurt kids should happen

Having a centralized, accessible and homey place for families and children who need assistance from the state makes sense.

Especially for children suspected of being abused or neglected. A frightened child taken from a dangerous situation shouldn’t have to bed down on an office couch.

The state Children, Youth and Families Department is trying to make that happen in Bernalillo County, which accounts for nearly half of the 2,000 children in CYFD custody.

The department is pursuing the consolidation of several current offices into a Child Wellness Center that would provide a homelike space for traumatized children during their first 48 hours in state custody. A place where frightened kids don’t have to sleep in an office. One where related agencies and nonprofits can have space so clients don’t have to traipse around town to receive services.

CYFD Secretary Monique Jacobson envisions a place that is comfortable, warm and loving, and with a medical triage area to help children heal and “decompress.”

CYFD’s current lease is expiring and the department is working with the General Services Department on a request for proposals, but is still considering the option of buying a building or complex, which would require the Legislature’s approval. A proposal to spend $10 million to buy — and $20 million to renovate — the SunPort Corporate Center in Southeast Albuquerque was set aside for now after the Albuquerque Journal reported the property sold last spring for only $1.5 million.

Whether an appropriate leased space can be found or whether a purchase makes more sense, Jacobson’s dream of a place created specifically to improve the quality of New Mexico children’s lives in their moments of trauma is one that should be fulfilled.

— Albuquerque Journal