Mayor on homelessness: ‘We just have to do more’

Those experiencing homelessness who are also battling drug and alcohol addiction will soon have a new option — a roof over their head and an opportunity for recovery. City officials broke ground Wednesday on a pallet home micro-community near Pan American Freeway and Candelaria Road NE called Recovery Gateway.

Officials say the subset of the unhoused community is struggling and in great need of long-term help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates at least 38% of people experiencing homelessness also abuse alcohol, while  26% abuse other drugs. Nearly two-thirds report lifetime histories of substance abuse. 

Mayor Tim Keller, who estimates there are nearly 5,000 people living on the street in Albuquerque, acknowledged the problem at the groundbreaking event.

“I think everyone at the city and county agrees we are doing good things … on a number of fronts,” he said. “We just have to do more — that’s what this is about.”

Recovery Gateway is the first project of its kind by the city. It will house up to 50 people in 46 pallet homes — 42 single-occupancy units and four double-occupancy units for couples. Residents can stay up to 24 months or until they are connected to longer-term recovery housing. Officials expect to welcome the first residents sometime this winter, with a full project completion early next year.

Health, Housing & Homelessness Department director Gilbert Ramírez said the micro-community would provide “a safe place without temptation.” 

“When you have a safe place to live and lay your head at night you remove a major barrier,” he said. “When you can provide a recovery space for 18-to-24 months, individuals are less likely to recidivate and fall back into a pattern of substance use — that’s vital.”

The campus is set to feature two community rooms for behavioral health treatment, case management and housing navigation, as well as three community bathrooms, laundry facilities, a dog park and a community garden.

The city said it is in contract negotiations with San Antonio, Texas-based nonprofit Endeavors to administer support services at the site — including meals, laundry and transportation. The Albuquerque City Council will have the final say on a contract approval, however.

The pallet homes will be purchased from Everett, Washington-based Pallet Shelter. The city of Santa Fe used the company on a 10-unit pallet home micro-community that opened earlier this year.

Recovery Gateway is being funded from $5 million in city opioid settlement funds, with another $800,000 pitched in by Bernalillo County. City officials said the $5.8 million is enough to cover infrastructure costs and two years of operations. 
The city’s Gateway facilities are part of the Metropolitan Homelessness Initiative that Keller announced at his State of the City address in August. Recovery Gateway joins the Gateway Center, Gateway West (formerly the Westside Emergency Housing Center), Family Gateway (formerly the Family Housing Navigation Center) and the forthcoming Youth Gateway — which is still in the early stages of development.