STATE News:

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called more than 100 people from around the state together in Santa Fe today to urge them to work more closely together on what is now a pressing public health issue.

“We need to do something dramatically different, because what we’re doing just isn’t working – it’s ‘rinse and repeat’ for too many of these individuals – from shelters to substance misuse treatment facilities to hospitals and back to the street again. That doesn’t move us toward our shared goal of a safer and more compassionate New Mexico,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “We owe these individuals better than that, and we owe our communities better than that.”

The governor also urged the groups to work together to gather data, as counting the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to be a challenge nationwide. At last count in January 2023, there were nearly 4,000 people without homes in New Mexico.

Gov. Lujan Grisham secured $82.5 million funding for housing and homelessness initiatives in the last legislative session – the largest investment in the state’s history. She again intends to ask the Legislature for a significant amount funding to continue work to address this public health crisis. 

“The need for housing solutions is more apparent each day  – not just for those in need, but for our community overall. Safer housing for all fosters safer streets and safer neighborhoods,” said President/CEO Laura Chavez of Support Housing Coalition of New Mexico.

“I’m very excited about the summit and the push for solutions through the Governor’s Office. The fact that this is a priority shows she is actively concerned and working to help all she serves across New Mexico,” said Executive Director Ryan Nix of Alianza of New Mexico. “The funding secured by the administration are already making a difference in our first week of services though our mobile homeless outreach initiative.”

“This summit was a significant step toward leaning into these issues and initiating real change through an effective statewide model for housing stability services,” said Executive Director Korina Lopez of the Interfaith Community Shelter at Pete’s Place.