The picture of homelessness for many Albuquerque residents is likely one of a panhandler at an intersection or bus stop who is almost always an adult male. But that picture is woefully incomplete, says Ashley Martinez, because it should include children and families too — a group that has been increasing in number.

“It is turning into an emergency, and the fact that we’re having to turn away families turns our stomachs every single day,” Martinez, the six-year development and communications director for Cuidando Los Niños, said. “We are limited by our space right now.”

Cuidando Los Niños operates a campus at 1500 Walter St. SE with four classrooms that accommodate 55 homeless children from six weeks to five-years-old.

It provides early childhood education, case management, housing assistance and parent education. Housing director Laura Fisher-Gallegos administers city-funded rapid rehousing vouchers, which provide 12-to-24 months of rental assistance. The nonprofit’s goal is to give homeless children some stability while their parents move toward permanent housing, employment and greater self-sufficiency. It currently has 80 homeless families on a waitlist.

“Our waitlist has tripled over the past 18 months and the numbers are not expected to decrease any time soon,” Natasha Gacinski, interim executive director, said. “How can we just keep turning away families every single day?”

Gacinski said about 80% of those who walk through the doors are fleeing from domestic violence. Many are members of one of the state’s tribes, she said. Families also come from Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela.

The full-time staff of 40 includes housing case managers, peer support and suicide prevention specialists. A family support team works in the classrooms to observe the children and assist with healthy development techniques. A family liaison meets with parents to make sure families have transportation to and from the campus and to connect them with Fisher-Gallegos’ housing team. A workforce development case manager does financial literacy, time management and resume building training. 

“Something that differentiates us as a nonprofit is when families first come in, they come in homeless,” Martinez said. “They’re at a really low point in their lives and we’re like a big hug to them.”

$2 million balm

Some financial help is on the way. Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott’s “Yield Giving” group awarded Cuidando Los Niños a $2 million grant in March through a highly competitive open call program. 

Cuidando Los Niños was one of 6,350 nonprofits that applied for $1 million grants; later the donor team later expanded the awardee pool and the award amount. The 279 nonprofits that received top scores were each awarded $2 million, while 82 groups in a second tier received $1 million each.

Scott has given away $16.5 billion so far from the fortune she came into after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. 

“I think it’s a testament to the work we do, but also to the work that needs to be done,” Gacinski said. “[Scott] recognized that the issue of child homelessness here is problematic.”

Gacinski said the highest priority for the grant money is to secure a larger space —  perhaps a former elementary school. About 60% of Cuidando Los Niños’ annual budget is funded through government grants and contracts, while the remaining 40% comes from private donations and community fundraising.

“We are open to locations anywhere in the city,” Gacinski said. “Our families are coming from all over the city and we’re busing them in from different shelters.”

Cuidando Los Niños has a larger sister program in Las Cruces that it aspires to emulate and it expects that the new funds will help.

“They’re more of a one-stop shop. They have a detox program on site. They have a food pantry,” Martinez said.

If given the opportunity, Gacinski said she’d like to see Cuidando Los Niños eventually operate its own transitional housing shelter.

“I’d like to do something on a small scale to really perfect it — a pilot project,” Gacinski said. “We can definitely do a family shelter or transitional housing. There’s just this gap.”

Find more information about the organization here.