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 […]
Housing & Homelessness
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Councilor eyes return of Berry-era homeless labor initiative
An idea born under former Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry that provides day labor jobs for those experiencing homelessness could be making a comeback. “There’s a Better Way” was launched in 2015 and the initiative quickly gained national attention. After a year in operation, the Washington Post called it “a simple idea that works.” The […]
Commission publishes first-of-its-kind behavioral health ordinance
Bernalillo County residents may soon see a different, more efficient network aimed at helping them meet their behavioral health needs. The Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved the publication of an ordinance that would create a behavioral health authority that would unify county behavioral health efforts. Vice Chair Eric Olivas said before the meeting that […]
Reps. Stansbury and Vasquez celebrate $16.3M in homelessness funding
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]