By Rodd Cayton
Albuquerque City Councilors Monday approved one of two contracts for services at the Gateway Center.
Councilors voted to defer a proposed professional services agreement with Chicanos Por La Causa, which would pay the organization up to $1.8 million after some councilors had questions about work it is already doing for the city.
The proposed agreement called for Chicanos Por La Causa to provide housing navigation services to 50 women experiencing homelessness.
Councilor Renee Grout noted Chicanos Por La Causa has two contracts at Gateway West. Grout said the organization has not fulfilled its obligation under those contracts, including one for case management.
“If they don’t have case workers out there, how are they going to have enough workers at this one?” she said.
Deputy Director Charlie Verplough of the city’s Department of Health, Housing, and Homelessness said the organization executed the contract in March, and has been hiring more staff. Verplough said the organization has one case manager at the westside shelter, with three more in the queue, and that Youth Development Inc. (YDI) and Ensemble Health are also providing case management.
Verplough conceded the demand for case management is more than what’s currently available.
“But this will really change the services that are provided at Gateway West,” Verplough said, citing a conversation with case management teams earlier in the day at which they discussed their work getting clients ready to go into housing of their own.
Councilor Nichole Rogers asked why the agreement covers 50 women when Mayor Tim Keller has mentioned a goal of 100 clients.
Verplough said the plan is still to provide service to 100 women, but they are seeking to phase in the services. Rogers said city officials should communicate more accurate numbers to the community.
“We’ve been hearing about how many people we’re going to house, in the Taj Mahal homelessness of Gateway,” she said. “And the fact that we’re only housing 50 people there? My constituents are sick of seeing people camping outside across the street when they can’t get into the building.”
The council approved an agreement with YDI. The organization will receive up to $1,781,365 to provide housing navigation services to 65 families experiencing homelessness.
Those services support families as they make the transition from homelessness into stable housing.
Gateway Family serves about 65 families and 120 children at a time, and helps connect clients to school and early childhood services. Families work with on-site case managers toward housing and employment.
YDI has operated multiple support programs in the area since 1971. A statement from Keller’s office says it’s a natural fit to operate family-focused services at Gateway.
“We continue to build a first-of-its-kind system that goes beyond shelter,” Keller said after the City Council vote. “With strong partners like YDI, we’re walking alongside families on their path to stable housing, treatment, and a better future.”
Health, Housing, and Homelessness sought the agreements after requests for proposals for Gateway Family or Gateway Women’s Housing Navigation failed to draw any responses.
