Addressing Albuquerque's Homelessness Problem

The homelessness crisis has been an ongoing concern of New Mexicans for years now. To New Mexicans, homelessness is not a distant issue, for it is witnessed inside our neighborhoods, our streets, and within our school systems. A 2020 federal report by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development indicated that New Mexico experienced the biggest surge of the homeless population in the US with an increase of 27%. Chronic homelessness population are those who have experiences homelessness repeatedly, or at least a year, while suffering with other conditions such as disability, substance abuse disorders, or mental illness. During 2022, the total of those who are chronically homeless make up 67% of Albuquerque’s total homeless population. Of the city’s homeless population, 9% are veterans, 16% are domestic violence victims, 46% suffer from mental illness, and 44% have a substance use disorder. Of Albuquerque’s total homeless population, 61% are in emergency shelters and 30% are unsheltered.

            Something I have learned from the sources I have read is that homelessness comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. People who are homeless do not all fall under the same category and are not all homeless for the same reasons. The homeless population experiences varied causes and effects of being unhoused. To find the solution to the homelessness problem, it’s crucial to understand these realities. The origin of the problem is systemic, while the solution is systemic as well. In other words, one part of our society does not exclusively contribute to increasing homelessness, but rather, a combination of factors contribute to homelessness. This applies to the solution, for a systemic approach that addresses homelessness of all angles has been found to be effective to reducing the unhoused population.

            Unaddressed, homelessness and behavioral health challenges strike communities with high costs and unforeseen outcomes. Albuquerque’s general community bears a larger burden when the homeless population increases. Businesses and neighborhoods experience higher human and drug waste in public areas, while also bearing the cost of implementing additional services to clean up the consequences of homelessness. Increase in the unhoused population results in congesting existing traffic in our community such as hospitals and detention centers. Not only that, but emergency services, such as emergency rooms or jails, drive up general costs that could have been avoided if individuals were housed.

Below is an example of what a person’s path is in homelessness could look like based on stories collected by Albuquerque’s Police Department and other services providers. This portrays the pattern that a homeless individual goes through due to the lack of supply of systemic approaches towards addressing chronic homelessness.

With that, I will provide and describe policy options that intend to address the alarming homelessness rate in Albuquerque and specify which option I recommend.

Section 8 Housing Vouchers:

•        Housing Choice Vouchers is a federal housing subsidy program pays landlords directly, and allows recipients to choose the housing, as long as it meets the HCV’s standards. Choosing their own housing prevents the issues that arise from housing projects.

•        Public housing agencies (PHAs) are located throughout each state, and their responsibilities include reviewing cases, considering applications, and administering voucher payments.

•        PHAs may establish local preferences. Albuquerque Housing Authority has preferences for applicants who are employed, attending school, participating in welfare-to-work programs, and those who are disabled or elderly.

•        AHA discloses that the current demand exceeds the program’s resources.

•        The drawback of the HCV program is that it experiences reluctance of landlord participation. The HCV program requires the inspection of an owner’s property in order for them to meet the program’s standards.

•        I purpose that New Mexico/AHA should purpose that the Department of HUD allocates funds towards the program to increase assistance and case managers to meet the state’s needs.

Criminalizing Homelessness:

•        This approach includes penalizing survival techniques homeless people use. This policy option would penalize those who panhandle, trespass, or sleep/eat in public areas by administering fines or being sentenced to jailtime.

•        During a debate, Governor MLG and candidate, Mark Ronchetti, have discussed intentions of implementing mandates or regulations, that criminalize the actions mentioned above, to address homelessness. This policy option exists from the idea that limiting the options of those who are homeless will encourage individuals to find proper housing.

•        This policy option does not consider a few drawbacks. Homeless individuals cannot afford fines, so they are often criminalized due to unpaid fines. This would congest our densely populated detention centers. Additionally, creating a criminal record will hinder an individual’s chances of obtaining a job or finding a home.

Housing-First:

•        Housing-first is an approach that addresses the symptoms of homelessness under the principal that none of the issues that come with being unhoused are solved without shelter.

•        This approach houses individuals without requiring any preconditions, such as sobriety. Once housed, an individual’s case is reviewed, and a case-management system would administer services based on need.

•        This approach exists under the principal that an individual cannot address conditions, such as addiction, while living under a bridge. This idea recognizes that an individual cannot give mental health medication a fighting chance while starved and cold.

•        A study found that housing-first saves an average of $905 a year per individual that participates in Albuquerque’s HFP.

•        Based on the average cost of this approach and the current homeless population, the state legislature should pass an appropriation to expand housing-first for $90,500,000. The average annual cost of the program is $27,149/person. This would save New Mexico $3,016,365 annually.

Eviction Prevention:

•        Albuquerque’s city council should pass a mandate to require landlords to make tenants aware of existing rental assistance programs.

•        The city already holds landlord trainings, so including this information within sessions would not impose a significant cost.

•        Since a state-wide survey shared that 36% of New Mexicans, who have not received any assistance, reported that they were not aware of rental assistance, this approach could prevent a fraction of the state’s evictions.

•        This would allow renters to have a better chance in preventing an eviction and would reduce eviction cases in the state’s Supreme Court. The states’ courts heard 141 eviction filings last week.

•        While this approach has the potential to reduce evictions, it would not make a huge impact of reducing chronic homelessness. Assigning additional liability and responsibilities onto landlords incentivizes them to not rent out the properties they own. With that, this effect would reduce the supply of homes individuals can rent out.

My Recommendation:

Among these four policy options, the housing-first approach is the most effective systemic solution for the chronic homelessness issue Albuquerque is suffering from. This approach would house individuals, address case-based conditions, and save on emergency service costs. Housing-first has shown indicated that it could reduce chronic homelessness by providing long-term housing, addressing the conditions individuals suffer from, and prevents further congestion in emergency services. This holistic approach is a larger investment, but it generates positive long-term results.