Mayor Tim Keller Creates One Albuquerque Homeless Advisory Council

January 16, 2019

Mayor Tim Keller today announced the creation of the One Albuquerque Homeless Advisory Council to work with City officials on new initiatives to address homelessness in Albuquerque. The Council will help fill the need for more coordination and collaboration among the City, nonprofit partners, businesses, faith-based groups, the Native American community, neighborhood residents and other government entities.

“We’re facing a crisis in our community with homelessness,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “We have many partner organizations working hard with the resources they have, but there are significant gaps in services. The One Albuquerque Homeless Advisory Council will help us coordinate and act on our major initiatives, like opening a year-round shelter with on-site services and doubling down on housing vouchers, the most cost-effective way to help folks move from emergency shelter to long term housing.”

The Homeless Advisory Council will have three primary functions:

• The Council will engage the community in the City’s efforts to address homelessness;
• The Council will help plan and initiate concrete strategies for addressing homelessness with key stakeholders;
• The Council will serve as a venue to overcome barriers as the City and its partners to work together to deliver services to those experiencing homelessness.

 The One Albuquerque Homeless Advisory Council is made up of 40 individuals who represent a wide range of organizations, neighborhoods, and at least two individuals that were once homeless.

 Late last year, Mayor Keller went through the intake process from boarding the shuttle at Coronado Park to registration at the City’s Westside Emergency Housing Center, where he spent the evening with people experiencing homelessness. 

“I wanted to see first-hand what the system is like for someone struggling with homelessness, so I got in line at Coronado Park and boarded the bus to the winter shelter,” stated Mayor Keller. “The stories people shared with me like losing their home because of a medical emergency or a lost paycheck, those are things that could happen to many people in Albuquerque. That’s why we’re stepping up to create a safety net that works.”

As part of the Mayor’s efforts, City departments are working to implement a multifaceted approach to address homelessness in Albuquerque. City efforts are being led by a team within the Family and Community Services Department to tackle both short- and long-term issues.

Elements of the City’s comprehensive plan include keeping the winter shelter open year-round until a new facility is constructed, developing a central point of drop-off for public safety personnel who encounter people without shelter or in need of services, providing homeless services in the new Downtown Public Safety District, and helping folks transition from emergency shelter to affordable housing with expanded housing vouchers.

You can donate directly to the housing voucher fund at. www.cabq.gov/housingfund