More than a dozen nonprofit and city leaders who work in homelessness and housing services across the state met in Albuquerque on Tuesday to mark an infusion of $16.3 million in federal funds for its programs. A roundtable event at Cuidando Los Niños featured U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury and Gabe Vasquez, part of the New […]
Housing & Homelessness
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What to know: ABQ’s first pallet home campus
The city unveiled plans Monday to develop a transitional recovery housing campus with 50 pallet homes, but with just a handful of specifics. Since then, we’ve heard from City Desk ABQ readers wanting to know more so we tracked down some answers. The project — the first of its kind in Albuquerque — was allocated […]
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The mayor said the city needs new 5,000 homes. His budget proposes less than 200.
In 2022, Mayor Tim Keller announced his goal to have 5,000 housing units across the city by 2025 to help with the city’s affordable “housing crisis.” So far 165 affordable units have been built and the next fiscal year’s budget includes funding for 195 housing units — still far short of the goal. Katie Simon, […]
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City survey shows residents concerned about direction city is headed
Albuquerque residents say they’re concerned about the city’s direction, and although many feel that city leaders have put forth good ideas on how to address those issues, 61% of residents polled feel the city is unresponsive to their concerns. That’s the gist of the city’s annual survey, released Tuesday. When asked how they feel about […]
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Councilors hear pleas for ceasefire
City Councilors made some changes to how the city will handle the administrative side of all the grants that it processes. But it was pleas for a resolution calling for an immediate Israeli ceasefire in Palestine that dominated public comment at the April 15 Albuquerque City Council meeting. Read about how city councilors decided to […]
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City plans to install 50 pallet homes at former MVD site
In a close vote, the Albuquerque City Council agreed to allocate about a fifth of the opioid settlement funds the city has received so far toward developing a transitional recovery housing campus featuring pallet homes. The $5 million allocation passed in a 5-4 vote at an April 15 meeting. Councilors Joaquín Baca, Klarissa Peña, Brook […]
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WHAT TO EXPECT: Council may debate spending $5M in opioid funding
City Councilors will debate whether to approve an expenditure of $5 million of opioid settlement dollars. According to the request, there is a lack of transitional recovery housing facilities in Albuquerque and these funds will allow Family and Community Services to coordinate the acquisition, renovation, or expansion of transitional recovery housing facilities. In other city […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
New $12.8M site opens for families experiencing homelessness
An Albuquerque nonprofit using an uncommon model that provides two years of housing, education and support to families experiencing homelessness has expanded to the Westside. Saranam’s objective is to stabilize and make independent what are most often single mothers with children who have endured domestic violence and other trauma. The program helps narrow a gap […]
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Deaths at the Westside shelter are increasing
On Jan. 28, 2023, a 53-year-old woman was staying at the Westside Emergency Housing Center with her husband when she died. According to an incident report, Gina Kirwin’s husband told staff that she was not breathing and when they went to check on her she was already cold to the touch. Kirwin’s husband told police […]
Posted inAlbuquerque, Housing & Homelessness
How many homeless die in Albuquerque each year? It’s complicated.
Although it’s hard to get an exact count, advocates say more people experiencing homelessness are dying each year. Neil Greene, a fellow at the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions and a scholar of homelessness, researched the issue for City Desk ABQ — using Office of the Medical Investigator records […]