By Stephanie Muñiz
Nov 9, 2021
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Housing the homeless has been a goal for city leaders and now they are making progress.
They will be talking to different providers and people who have experienced homelessness for their input.
“And that means asking questions like what does a good dining area look like?" Cristina Parajon said. "What physical design elements are going to support safety and security as service providers? And then towards the end, we want to discuss methods to continue that conversation and continue design input.”
People who will be sheltered there will be on a 90-day plan.
“As we implement the gateway and phases, you know, we'll implement," Cristy Hernandez said. "Okay, is this 90 days working for the families, the individuals, you know, what are the challenges, what are the successes, how can we improve the process? So it'll constantly be being evaluated.”
In the current model, the Gateway Center will be able to house 25 families a year. Health care is also a priority including mental health services and drug counseling — all of which will be available to residents at the facility.
“The thing that we're getting close to is working with Healthcare for the Homeless has been really helping us in developing our medical respite model,” Doug Chaplin said.
That's the plan after patients leave — which experts say is critical to keeping those recovering on track.
The Gateway Center is working on the Good Neighborhood Agreement for the five surrounding neighborhoods.
It will include services like community dispute resolutions, an advisory committee and a phone number to report issues to the gateway center.
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