Workers, including members of the Interfaith Coalition on Homelessness, pack 100 snack bag lunches this month at Valley View United Methodist Church in Española. This service is done every Sunday and the lunches are distributed to local schools and Española Pathways Shelter. Courtesy photo

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

The new year promises some challenges. Grocery prices are skyrocketing along with insurance premiums, and the federal government continues to slash social programs.

In short, things look grim. Or are they?

A local organization, the Interfaith Coalition on Homelessness (ICOH), has been helping and advocating for those who need help the most for more than a year. With the recent creation of a new tax-deductible fund, the community can join their efforts. The fund, known as the “Española Valley Homelessness Fund”, is established at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, 1738 N. Sage Loop.

The fund will be used specifically for reducing homelessness in Española.

ICOH’s projects underway to help achieve this goal include:

• Working with three providers of medically assisted treatment of addictions.
• Assisting Española Pathways Shelter.
• Focusing on providing cell phones and monthly service to patients who need addiction treatment.
• Working to bring about a bus service offering free, reliable transportation to and from all healthcare facilities in Española, including pharmacies.
• Collaborating with McCurdy Ministries and its Family Resources Center.

ICOH member Tyler Taylor said the coalition can tackle these projects because it is structured and organized. He explained that a subcommittee narrowed down potential projects last year, and a steering committee and action teams have since tackled them. One of those is a project team that monitors the projects’ progress. The number of efforts taken on since 2024 has grown from four to 15. Taylor added that some people participating in the coalition have also started and operate different projects such as donating items from local thrift stores to Española. They come up with an idea, he said, and they run with it.

“They’ve become conduits for a lot of items moving every few weeks from all three of our thrift stores to Española, to the frontline groups there that could use them,” Taylor said.

A major accomplishment for the coalition was raising close to $19,000 for Española Pathways Shelter in 2024.

“That was our first indication that when we really put our shoulder to the wheel together, we could be quite impactful … in just a short period of time – that was just in three months,” Taylor said.

ICOH member Evan Rose said what made the fundraising successful was the formula that was used.

“You had a nice formula for that,” he said. “You were trying to get $10 per parishioner per church … that helped because it gave people a target.”

Unitarian Minister and ICOH member Rev. Tina DeYoe said, “I’ve been really impressed by the collaboration between congregations. It’s been a very interfaith effort … of collaboration because our values align. I think that’s been impressive to see.”

The churches involved in the coalition span from Española to White Rock and Los Alamos. They are:

Española

• Valley View United Methodist Church
• Santa Cruz United Methodist Church
• New Creations in Christ Ministries

Los Alamos County

• White Rock Presbyterian Church
• White Rock United Methodist Church
• White Rock Baptist Church
• The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Pajarito Ward
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Los Alamos Ward
• The United Church of Los Alamos
• The Los Alamos Jewish Center
• Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
• First United Methodist Church of Los Alamos
• Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church

While the coalition is expansive, having the new fund will help streamline things and make it easier for people to donate, Taylor said.

“The new, big opportunity here is that there is now this fund, this restricted fund, that’s been created by the Unitarian Church, which means … instead of totally relying on congregations to sort of answer the call when we need some funds for a project … some of these individuals who have been coming forward and saying, ‘I’d like to donate, who do I write a check to’ … now with this new fund (they can contribute directly to that fund),” he said. “This is sort of an exciting turn of the page for us.”

As of right now, donations are asked to be via a check written to the Unitarian Church of LA, with “EVHF” or “Homelessness Fund” on the memo line. They can be sent to The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, 1738 N. Sage Loop, Los Alamos, NM, 87544.

It doesn’t stop at donating money; anyone interested in volunteering can do so at https://icohnm.org/. Contributing in some way is so important because the stakes are getting higher and the obstacles more difficult, DeYoe said.

“Government safety services are being cut exorbitantly … in my view homelessness is going to rise and with the potential of insurance premiums skyrocketing, it is just a domino effect, which is the unfortunate part, so it is so great that this work is being done,” she said. “It’s very important, especially now.”

Taylor explained the focus is mainly on Española because even though homelessness exists in Los Alamos County, the need is dramatically higher in the Española Valley.

DeYoe added that Los Alamos isn’t ignored; the coalition does partner with the Los Alamos County Social Services Division in a few ways, and an education program about homelessness is scheduled to be held next year in Los Alamos. Plus, there is a real desire in Los Alamos to help others.

“I think there is a desire to help people, and Española is an obvious place that could use some help, and I think people would like to help,” Rose said.

Taylor and DeYoe agreed.

“There’s a hunger here to do more than, who do I write a check to … people want to do something much more personal,” Taylor said. “They want to put time and energy and show up to places making a direct impact…”

“It is actually about building relationships with people … with the people who work at the Española Pathways Shelter, with people who work at McCurdy Ministries, with residents who stay at the shelter, and with people up here in Los Alamos who are building interfaith relationships. This collaborative work around similar values is powerful and gives me hope,” DeYoe said.