A private dirt lot located one block north of East Central Avenue in Albuquerque’s International District recently saw a swell of activity from an illegal encampment. About 50 people experiencing homelessness were living on the site that functioned as a makeshift community. There was considerable trash on the street and reports of burglary, vandalism, public […]
Category: Housing & Homelessness
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
International District has become an urban ‘pharmacy desert’
Not that long ago there were three large commercial pharmacies located within the boundaries of Albuquerque’s International District — Walmart, CVS and Walgreens — including a small independent one, Phil’s Pills. Today, only Phil’s Pills remains. The effect for residents seeking to fill prescriptions has become a problem with potentially dire consequences. “For some folks, […]
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Heading Home will no longer run Westside shelter; city hasn’t found new operator
The embattled Westside Emergency Housing Center (WEHC) took another hit this month after the city was unable to find an operator to run it starting July 1. Two organizations applied for a $4.1 million annual contract, but officials said their proposals were “unsatisfactory, incomplete and ineligible.” Operator Albuquerque Heading Home, whose current three-year contract expires […]
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City Council hears from the public — and some stuffed animals — at Monday meeting
A packed chamber greeted the Albuquerque City Council for a five-hour meeting May 6 where the council spent some money, approved getting some grant money and heard heartfelt public comments about immigration policies in the city. Standing Room Only More than a dozen residents turned out to voice their concerns about a proposed amendment that […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
County says detox clients increasingly younger, on fentanyl
Activity at the entrance of Bernalillo County’s detoxification center in Albuquerque picks up around 6 pm on most nights but that doesn’t mean the CARE Campus isn’t buzzing at other hours of the day. “In the last year we’ve seen a lot of individuals just looking for a place to be, and that usually happens […]
Posted inLocal Gov.
Bernalillo County’s Tiny Home Village hits a stride
Progress didn’t come easy, but Bernalillo County officials say the Tiny Home Village withstood a rocky start to emerge as a project with promise in an area of Albuquerque that desperately needs it. Now, three years in, the county is fielding questions from Albuquerque officials who are in the early stages of a similar undertaking […]
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City Council wants to hear your thoughts on the mayor’s proposed budget
Have some opinions on how the city should budget its money? The public is invited to share its thoughts with Albuquerque city councilors at two upcoming meetings — one this Thursday and another next Thursday. The Committee of the Whole will meet May 2 and May 9 to hear resident input on the mayor’s proposed budget […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Education, Housing & Homelessness
UNM students join nationwide campus protest in support of ceasefire
University of New Mexico students set up camp this week at the school’s Duck Pond to protest the Israel-Hamas war — calling for a ceasefire — and demanding that the university divest from Israel. Pro-Palestinian protests have been heating up on college campuses across the country over the past two weeks as students gather to […]
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ABQ’s response to homeless encampments: the InterACTION team
Homeless encampments have been a source of controversy for cities in recent years — including Albuquerque — and are now an issue before the U.S. Supreme Court. On April 22, the court heard oral arguments in a case out of Grants Pass, Oregon, that would decide whether banning homeless people from sleeping outside when shelter […]
Posted inHousing & Homelessness, National News, Syndicated
When red-hot isn’t enough: New government heat risk tool sets magenta as most dangerous level
BY SETH BORENSTEIN / Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Forget about red hot. A new color-coded heat warning system relies on magenta to alert Americans to the most dangerous conditions they may see this summer. The National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday — Earth Day — presented a […]