Albuquerque and Bernalillo County officials are on the hunt for $40 million to convert a wing of the Gateway Center on Gibson Boulevard — formerly a hospital facility — into apartment units. Such permanent supportive housing projects are considered by many advocates as a successful method to address chronic homelessness.
The idea is included on a list of dozens of projects that the Middle Rio Grande Housing Collaborative — made up of city and county representatives — have identified as both crucial and well positioned to help boost affordable housing options throughout the metro area.
The collaborative was launched last year to expedite housing projects by leveraging city and county funds, property and resources. Officials intend to ask the state lawmakers for hundreds of millions in gap funding at the 2025 Legislative Session — enough to add about 2,100 new housing units.
The permanent supportive housing project would be a first for the Gateway Center — the city’s flagship effort to reduce the number of people living on the streets, which is estimated at about 5,000. The facility currently provides 50 overnight beds and 35 emergency beds. It is also in the construction phase of a 50-bed medical sobering unit and 50-bed medical respite unit.
Under federal guidelines, permanent supportive housing provides long-term housing assistance in the form of rental subsidies or long-term leases. It also comes with support services like case management, health care and employment assistance.
Health, Housing & Homelessness Department (HHH) officials said they weren’t ready to release details about the Gateway project, including how many apartment units might be constructed.
“We are in the very early analysis stages of this project,” HHH spokesperson Connor Woods said.
The city launched an effort to expand its Gateway brand this year. Mayor Tim Keller announced in August that his administration would integrate four other facilities into the brand: Gateway West (formerly the Westside Emergency Housing Center), Youth Gateway, Family Gateway and Recovery Gateway.
The full list of housing projects proposed by the Middle Rio Grande Housing Collaborative, along with a funding resolution, is here.