City Issues Corrective Action Plan for Supportive Housing Coalition

ALBUQUERQUE – The City of Albuquerque remains committed to supporting those most in need by providing housing vouchers in partnership with trusted non-profit organizations. The City began a corrective action plan to address issues with a housing voucher provider, the Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHCNM), following a misuse of voucher funds. The City has made the New Mexico State Auditor and the City’s Office of Inspector General aware of the SHC’s financial issues. The City has notified SHCNM that they will not be renewing their contracts. 

“Through these actions, we’re course correcting to protect the most vulnerable in our community and to safeguard public dollars,” said Associate Chief Administrative Officer Carla Martinez. “We will do everything in our power to recover the mismanaged funds, while also working with our partners to keep clients in their homes.” 

The City became aware that SHCNM was not paying rents for some of their permanent supportive housing voucher clients and was instead using these funds for administrative and operational expenses. This was the result of regular monitoring, and communications with SHCNM, as well as clients reaching out to the City of Albuquerque directly, stating they were at risk of eviction. When discovered, the City stopped payments for vouchers to SHCNM and began to make direct payments to landlords to prevent evictions. SHCNM owes around $200,000 in back payments to landlords. The City paid the past-due rents to keep clients housed and is setting up a repayment plan with SHCNM to recoup this funding.  

The City will not be contracting with SHCNM going forward, but recognizes the important role they play in helping vulnerable populations in our community. The City is transitioning the approximately 120 SHCNM voucher clients to other providers to make sure they remain housed. We continue to collaborate with the Coalition to End Homelessness and Housing New Mexico (MFA) to ensure housing stability and pathways to housing.  

“Our priority is ensuring consistent housing security for people who rely on permanent supportive housing,” said Director of Health, Housing, and Homelessness Gilbert Ramirez. “At the center of this mission is our commitment to foster strong community partnerships, and we are dedicated to maintaining and improving upon this collaboration.”  

If you are a client who has questions or concerns, contact the City by going to Cabq.gov/hhhtransparency .