In February, Nicole Santa Cruz traveled to New Mexico to report on homeless people’s possession loss as a result of encampment sweeps in Albuquerque. The journalist had heard about a lawsuit the city was embroiled in about this issue. ProPublica decided it was worth looking into and, prior to flying, Santa Cruz called around and learned it was a growing problem.

It was on this week-long trip that she met Gabriel Rodriguez, a homeless man whose black duffel bag had been hauled away after he left it outside a shelter. Gone were a stack of letters from his grandmother that held great sentimental value.

Santa Cruz also met Margarita Griego, who experienced the possession loss of most of her belongings, including a backpack that held her Social Security card and identification.

The Constant Threat of Possession Loss and Destruction in Albuquerque

“The first impression, I would say, in Albuquerque was that in every interview, someone had experienced possession loss. And oftentimes it was multiple times,” the reporter recalled. “And so I was struck by how frequently this was occurring, and by how much it was impacting people and impacting their mental health.”

Santa Cruz, who covers issues of inequality in the Southwest for ProPublica, was tipped off by a source about another case of possession loss — a woman who had lost her dentures. Christian Smith had gone on an errand, leaving behind a shopping cart with everything she owned near an underpass. The cart was missing when she returned. The 42-year-old Smith told Santa Cruz that it was hard to eat, hard to talk.

“I think in some reporting on homelessness, people are definitely hesitant. But what I have found with this reporting is that people are eager to tell you what happened to them because they feel like it’s wrong,” Santa Cruz said. “They feel like this is not the right thing to be happening to them, and so I think there’s that sense of speaking out.”

Read the full article about possession loss and destruction by Amaris Castillo at Poynter.