The city’s Human Rights Board is recommending that Albuquerque’s hate crimes ordinance be updated to include housing status — a reference to those experiencing homelessness or who are precariously housed. The recommendation comes after board members noticed a rise in hostilities toward the unhoused community. The board is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by […]
Category: Housing & Homelessness
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Zoning to increase duplexes, overnight shelters fails at City Council
A push to reform the city’s zoning laws to allow more duplex construction has failed for a second year. An amendment to the city’s codes would have greenlighted conversions of existing single-family homes into duplexes in areas designated as urban centers, main street areas and those near mass transit. A measure to allow for new […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
Rage rooms, escape rooms as addiction treatment
A nonprofit that operates intensive outpatient counseling and a methadone clinic for people experiencing homelessness and those with addiction and mental health disorders is expanding in Albuquerque’s International District. On July 1, State of the Heart Recovery is set to add a barber school and rooms for “experiential experiences” — like an escape room, paint […]
Posted inCommentary, Housing & Homelessness, Opinion
Letter to the Editor: City Charter Amendments Need Review by Blue Ribbon Task Force
This letter is provided as opinion/commentary from the authors. You can submit your own: editor@citydesk.org Foundational changes got minimum hearings, little public input. The recent changes proposed to the City Charter by several City Councilors require more public input and education than allowed by the current council president. These changes would reduce the votes needed […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Congress & Federal Gov., Housing & Homelessness
$1M from feds would add transitional housing for homeless families
Transitional housing options for Albuquerque’s women and children exiting emergency shelters are limited and waitlists are long — circumstances that can result in a return to life on the streets for families experiencing homelessness. However, $1 million in funding requested by Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-NM, would expand housing availability for the vulnerable group. Transitional housing […]
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It’s official: Berry-era homeless jobs program to return
A nationally recognized initiative that provides day labor jobs for those experiencing homelessness has made a comeback in Albuquerque. The idea is based on former Mayor Richard Berry’s “There’s a Better Way” program, which first launched in 2014. Officials said it fills an urgent need in the face of record levels of homelessness across the […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness, Politics & Elections
Off to the primary races
Primary election day in Albuquerque wasn’t unusual: Voters arrived and received their ballots, poll workers had things moving quickly, signs sought to take one more shot at swaying citizens’ attention and candidates traversed the city to thank voters for their time. Wait times for voters were observably short at polling places City Desk ABQ visited, […]
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Former San Mateo Inn to be shelter for young adults
The city’s Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) is considered a necessary but harsh shelter for the hundreds of residents who stay there, and its distant location from city services has long been a criticism. The former jail facility has been described as “deplorable” and “scary.” Even though physical improvements are in progress, the WEHC isn’t […]
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Photos: Albuquerque Community Safety shows off new digs
The city department formed in 2021 that’s charged with, among other things, responding to situations involving those who are experiencing homelessness has a new home. Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) is now located in a 10,800-square-foot facility at 1210 San Mateo Blvd. SE, just northwest of its previous location at the Gateway Center at Gibson Health […]
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No central point of contact stymie motel voucher program
The clock is ticking on a required city report to address the metro’s inventory of blighted motels and its hotel voucher program — one that’s meant to assist citizens in urgent need of a free room for a night or a short stay, including those experiencing homelessness. Frustrations with unsafe and unhealthy motels and the […]