Latest news with #GatewayCenter
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gateway Center residents speak about their experience at facility
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Albuquerque has poured tens of millions of dollars over the past several years to create the Gateway Center, in hopes of helping hundreds of people get back on their feet and find housing. For the first time, KRQE News 13 got a chance to speak with some of the residents about their experience and how it's opening new opportunities for them. 'Homelessness does not discriminate,' said Adrienne, a resident at the center. Story continues below Community:ABQ bus driver speaks out on her experience of safety issues on Central route News:Homeland Security: 11 people arrested at New Mexico dairy were 'undocumented' Trending:Mexican gray wolf Asha gives birth to litter of pups Food: Two Albuquerque restaurants make Yelp's 'Top 50 Cheap Eats' list For 13 years, Adrienne and her partner, Lisa, lived in an apartment together in Albuquerque. That was until the day Lisa was shot in the head in October, which led to costly medical bills and an eviction notice. 'Oddly enough, we lost everything we owned,' Lisa said. After getting evicted, it was only a couple of days before they were welcomed at Albuquerque's Gateway Center. 'By God's good graces, I'm still here, and the worst that came out of this is we got to start over a little bit,' Lisa said. It's been two weeks since they arrived, and they say they're making good progress on finding a new home for themselves. Lisa says she does not have a job, identification, or a cell phone, but that caseworkers at the center are helping her. They're also working to get her an EBT card. 'If you're willing to utilize the resources that they're giving you, then you're going to succeed,' Adrienne said. 'If you're not, then you're going to go out and say all these kinds of bad stuff.' Adrienne, however, does have a job, but stays at the center as the eviction process and apartment search play out. The city has faced scrutiny over the center, with the public questioning the millions spent and its success. Lisa and Adrienne say their experience is much different than what some people may think or hear about the center. '[It] focuses on getting people's lives back together,' Lisa said. 'Focuses on what the reality of going back out there is.' According to Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, about 500 people have gone through housing navigation at Gateway since the start of the year. About 20% of them have found some sort of housing. 'You're either going to step up and help yourself, or we're going to go ahead and rotate through and get somebody who wants to step up and help themselves,' Lisa added. The couple plans on moving to a new place in the next several months. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Albuquerque to spend $4.5M in opioid settlement funds on addiction recovery projects
Jun. 1—Members of the Albuquerque City Council and the mayor's office came together Wednesday to mark the signing of legislation that allocates portions of the historic opioid settlement — one of the largest in history to be doled out to local governments. Mayor Tim Keller signed legislation that enables $4.5 million from opioid settlement money to fund three Gateway Center projects, all meant to alleviate drug use and homelessness in Albuquerque. "People who need treatment and addiction help, the most in need, will now have a home and we'll actually be able to open this very shortly," Keller said while at the soon-to-be-opened Medical Sobering Center. According to the legislation, this money goes to three projects. The largest allocation, $2.25 million, was designated for the Medical Sobering Center, which will provide space for up to 50 individuals to recover from severe intoxication and is set to open in later this summer. Another $1.4 million was allocated to the First Responder Receiving Area, a facility where police and other first responders can transport individuals in need of drug and mental health services outside regular hours. Lastly, $950,000 is allocated to Gateway Recovery, a city-owned community of 46 tiny homes where individuals recovering from addiction can reside and receive treatment for a year. In all, Albuquerque is set to receive about $80 million over the next 18 years. That money must be used to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic, per the settlement agreement. All the money stems from a settlement after local governments across the country sued pharmaceutical companies for overprescribing opioids. The resulting settlement, which followed hundreds of deaths in New Mexico, led to a windfall of funding for local governments. More recently, rates of fatal overdoses have decreased two years in a row since 2021, when the number of deaths peaked at 1,029 deaths, according to data compiled by the New Mexico Department of Health. The same data set also said that fentanyl was involved in 65% of overdose deaths in 2023, the year with the most recent available data. "We created a world of people that were addicted to opiates," said Jennifer Burke, executive director of Serenity Mesa Recovery Center. "And when they couldn't get their opiates anymore, fentanyl was there waiting for them." However, decisions about how to allocate the money led to a split between some council members and the mayor's office. The mayor's office sought additional funding for Gateway services, while the council proposed distributing the funds to nonprofits that support individuals experiencing addiction. The council's plan followed dozens of meetings between councilors and Bernalillo County commissioners. "It was a period of about two years to go through this process of getting community input, finding out how those funds should be used according to the community — which is what they were for — and then coming up with a plan," Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn said. That same plan also allocated funds for the mayor's office, which the council later allocated toward the three projects celebrated on Wednesday. However, despite the reconciliation and the bill signing, councilors and the mayor sought to convey a message that the work was not over. "We are at the precipice," Councilor Nichole Rogers said. "We are right there, and things like this (Medical Sobering Center) coming online are just going to help us really meet people where they are and connect them to the help so that they can get to self-sufficiency."
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$4.5M from opioid settlement will be used to bolster Gateway Center resources
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds will be used for services throughout the Gateway Center in Albuquerque. $4.5 million has been allocated to boost recovery housing, the gateway's medical sobering center, and the first responder receiving area. This money is part of a larger $20 million package to bolster access to treatment and housing. To date, nearly $6 million in opioid settlement funding has been allocated to gateway recovery for both construction and operations. City of Albuquerque looks to catch up on backlog of needed trash bins 'This is such an important thing for the community, and I think that it's been a long time coming, and it hasn't been an easy road. But I think we're going to see payoff and see the ability to help people in this building,' said Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn. Over the last several years, billions of dollars have been awarded to cities, states, and counties around the country. It comes from drug manufacturers and distributors, settling lawsuits for their role in the opioid epidemic. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Yahoo
City of Albuquerque to open new pallet homes to help people recovering from addiction
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –There's a new option in Albuquerque for people struggling with homelessness and drug addiction. The city is ready to open a first-of-its-kind, recovery-focused shelter. Soon enough, the city will welcome dozens of new residents to the shelter full of small, portable homes to give people a place to live and get on their feet. 'We need a place where we can lay our heads down and know that we are in a safe place,' said Donald Hume, formerly homeless. Sober for more than 30 years now, Hume already knows the city's new tiny palette home project is something that should have a big impact. 'We didn't have recovery homes like this when I came into recovery,' said Hume. USPS unveils new stamps featuring Cochiti Pueblo artist's work at Gathering of Nations A first of its kind for Albuquerque, run through the city's Gateway Center program, this new 46-pallet home micro community near I-25 and Comanche will soon house people trying to move past drug addiction. At capacity, up to 50 people will live in the community. To get there, residents can be referred by local detox centers or addiction recovery providers. 'Those referrals will be streamlined throughout with our case management and clinical services, and we will contact the referring party and do an interview, see if that person is appropriate for our services, and we'll take it from there,' said Nancy Suarez, Endeavors Services Program Manager Residents will be able to live in the pallet community for up to two years. After two mistrials, charges dropped against former Albuquerque police officer accused of false imprisonment Along with onsite services like laundry rooms, a kitchen, and a pet area, the 'Gateway Recovery' community has three open areas where residents can talk or share meals with on-site social workers and neighbors. 'Reminder, because I think there's confusion sometimes, this is post-detox to maintain sobriety and recovery, right? And so that is to help you continue on that path of sustaining your non-use and your recovery process,' said Gilbert Ramirez with the City of Albuquerque Health, Housing, and Homelessness Department. Funded with $5 million in opioid settlement funds, the city built the project in just nine months. 'The county jumped on board, saying, 'Yes, we're in, how do we help?' That's the unification that happens when we put people before politics and we make things happen,' said Ramirez. The city says service providers are aiming to work on evaluating referrals for people to live in these pallet homes within two to three days. The city says the 'Recovery Gateway' project is going to start taking in residents within the coming weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
City of Albuquerque Gateway Network making donating easier with Amazon Wishlist
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The city of Albuquerque is making it easier for anyone wanting to help the homeless at the Gateway Network with an Amazon Wishlist highlighting the Gateway Network's needs. Some items the Gateway Center is in need of: Pants Sweat pants T-shirts Underwear Toiletries Storage bins Shelving More items found on the Amazon Wishlist Donations will go to people at Gateway Network, which helps people experiencing homelessness. For anyone who wishes to drop off donations directly can schedule a drop off time, click here. For more information on donating to to the Gateway Network, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
