At Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City address, he said there are an estimated 5,000 people living on the streets in Albuquerque. For those thousands — along with other city residents — locating a public restroom can be a challenge. While there’s no shortage of proposed solutions, city officials and advocates alike say none […]
Housing & Homelessness
Housing shortage could put brakes on new short-term rentals
The surge of short-term rentals and the rise of companies such as Airbnb has made it more difficult to find a home to rent or a house to buy in Albuquerque. The issue has spurred city councilors to propose a bill to limit the number of short-term rentals in certain areas, but others say it’s […]
International District could see $50 million boost from feds
The buzz has been building among city officials and International District residents about the prospect that up to $50 million in federal money could be funneled into an area that desperately needs it. The city and the Albuquerque Housing Authority (AHA) were recently awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant through the U.S. Department of […]
Homelessness, crime push rents higher says International District landlord
Property owners in the International District say homeless encampments and crime have caused insurance rates to skyrocket — in some cases tripling — and are contributing to higher rents for tenants in order to offset the costs. One well-known landlord with 1,800 apartments located mostly in the Southeast area — Chuck Sheldon — said the […]
City places $744K bet on eyesore at troubled intersection
One of the city’s highest profile eyesores is poised to be energized with $744,332 in tax incentives designed to motivate private developers to invest in areas that are underdeveloped. Park Central — a boarded-up 10-story office building on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard — is one of four housing projects […]
Nob Hill residents, church partner to help unhoused
The Nob Hill Neighborhood Association and the Monte Vista Christian Church have teamed up to provide some relief for those experiencing homelessness. Church members and neighborhood residents are meeting to assemble care kits with supplies that are then distributed to the area’s unhoused. The two spearheading the initiative — Rev. Dawn Rosignol, the senior minister […]
Unhoused to be offered jobs with Duke City Ambassadors
Mayor Tim Keller outlined Friday the revival of a former outreach program that employs those experiencing homelessness with beautification-related jobs like cleaning streets and sidewalks and removing weeds. The “Better Way Forward” program will initially employ 10 people in the Duke City Community Ambassadors program, which is overseen by the Solid Waste Management Department. Ambassadors […]
Working AC and a roof that doesn’t leak: City takes steps to improve, rebrand ‘deplorable’ Westside shelter
Amid ongoing criticism of the facility’s conditions, Mayor Tim Keller and city officials showed off new renovations at the Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) on Thursday and used the occasion to rebrand it — Gateway West. The upgrades are welcome news for the city, as the sprawling homeless shelter had been a target of substantial […]
Are more taxes the answer to homelessness?
If you’ve watched a presidential debate or engaged in just about any topic on social media, this event won’t feel familiar — it’s designed to be highly-structured and civilized. The topic is Albuquerque’s unhoused, specifically: Are additional tax dollars needed to provide housing for those experiencing homelessness? The national nonprofit Braver Angels is hosting the […]
Housing looms large in governor’s Albuquerque town hall
By Austin Fisher At the second of a series of town hall meetings on Monday night, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham heard from members of the public for six hours. In an auditorium at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, locals raised issues ranging from difficulty finding mental health treatment, unfair or unlawful […]