Youth experiencing addiction will soon have a safe place to detox in Albuquerque. The new detox center has space to house six clients, who can stay there for up to 14 days, or longer if medically necessary. In February, Serenity Mesa, a transitional living service for youth in Bernalillo County, received $3.5 million in funding […]
Housing & Homelessness
Gateway sobering center gets $4.2M from feds
The Gateway Center is moving toward its goal of offering medical sobering services in Albuquerque. The site near the VA Medical Center hosted U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra highlighted the $4.2 million in federal aid appropriated for the project. Luján, Becerra and Mayor Tim Keller toured […]
No-Confidence vote goes nowhere, again
The City Council also heard from the Albuquerque Police Department about its findings in the investigation into Chief Harold Medina’s crash. Read our coverage of that discussion here. It was a no vote for a vote of no confidence leveled against the Albuquerque Police Chief at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. Councilor Louie Sanchez sponsored the […]
WHAT TO EXPECT: No confidence vote in police chief on the table
A no-confidence vote in the police chief will be on the table for the Albuquerque City Council at its Wednesday regular meeting. Strike Out or Home Run Councilor Louie Sanchez has failed a couple of times to get a message of no confidence off the council table and onto the mayor’s office. The city’s Finance […]
How does the mayor’s proposed budget stack up against last year’s?
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s administration released a $1.4 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 on Tuesday. The 2.3% increase over last fiscal year focuses on big picture categories like public safety, housing, homelessness, behavioral health, jobs, the economy and more. The city said in a news release that the budget takes into consideration post-pandemic […]
Homeless sobering center would take pressure off emergency rooms
When an intoxicated homeless person needs to get sober, they often end up in one of Albuquerque’s emergency rooms. But officials say it’s an untenable situation that places a further strain on already stressed health care workers and maxed out ERs. The city hopes to alleviate some of the load through a new medical sobering […]
Cuidando Los Niños sounds alarm on child homelessness
The picture of homelessness for many Albuquerque residents is likely one of a panhandler at an intersection or bus stop who is almost always an adult male. But that picture is woefully incomplete, says Ashley Martinez, because it should include children and families too — a group that has been increasing in number. “It is […]
Gateway Center funding falls far short of city’s requests
Going into the 2024 legislative session, city officials had high hopes to secure a key request of almost $16 million in funds for projects at the Gateway Center at Gibson Health Hub. They ended up with $615,000. The city fared better overall, however, receiving about 29% of the funding it requested for a variety of […]
Albuquerque Community Safety looking for new leader
The woman who led the Albuquerque Community Safety Department since its inception in 2021 is transitioning to a new role in city government. Mariela Ruiz-Angel is now the Associate Chief Administrative Officer, the city announced Monday. The position was previously held by Bob White, who retired at the end of last year. Ava Montoya, a […]
Council approves additional funding to help with increasing number of migrants
Helping asylum seekers and migrants and recognizing the impact of the atomic industry on downwinders topped the short Albuquerque City Council meeting held on March 18. Migrant Help An increasing number of migrants arriving in Albuquerque — “due to unforeseen circumstances at the southern U.S. border” — since early fall has stretched thin the nonprofit […]