Legislative report: Homelessness on the rise in New Mexico

Preliminary estimates for 2023 show a “significant uptick” of about 48 percent in homelessness in New Mexico, suggesting an increased need for affordable housing around the state, according to a report. The interim Legislative Finance Committee met on Tuesday and heard housing experts Kathleen Gygi, program evaluator for the Legislative Finance Committee, Amy Whitfield, housing […]

Legislative report: Homelessness on the rise in New Mexico

Preliminary estimates for 2023 show a “significant uptick” of about 48 percent in homelessness in New Mexico, suggesting an increased need for affordable housing around the state, according to a report.

The interim Legislative Finance Committee met on Tuesday and heard housing experts Kathleen Gygi, program evaluator for the Legislative Finance Committee, Amy Whitfield, housing and homeless advisor for the Office of the Governor and Isidoro “Izzy” Hernandez, executive director and chief executive officer of New Mexico Mortgage Finance Committee, on a presentation about homelessness and affordable housing issues. The presenters provided a report for the committee that showed an overview of affordable housing and homelessness in the state.

One problem Gygi highlighted is that incomes have not kept up with the cost of rent. Since 2017, rents and home values have grown by 70 percent while income in the state has grown by just 15 percent, Gygi said.

Another problem is a lack of bed space for homeless individuals. Gygi said about 900 more beds are needed to address the current unhoused population.

According to the report, about 1,600 New Mexicans are currently unsheltered. Another 2,242 individuals are residing in emergency shelters or transitional housing while 6,297 individuals are housed with some form of support.

There are 105,557 individuals who rent but are cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their gross income in rent and, therefore, are unstably housed.

One of the report’s recommendations was that the state could benefit from 859 permanent supportive housing units at a cost of $11.4 million annually. But, the report noted there is a shortage of existing supportive housing providers to take on expanded work.

The Mortgage Finance Authority dedicated $2 million of funding from the federal CARES Act to support the acquisition of a hotel to increase supportive housing, according to the report.

Gygi talked about the recent increase in both recurring and nonrecurring funding from the legislature. Because of a new severance tax bond, the state’s Mortgage Finance Authority will have about $74 million to support affordable housing development in Fiscal Year 2024, the report said.

The MFA’s board recently approved to increase homeowner down-payment assistance by $5 million and dedicated over $25 million over the next five years to rehabilitate and preserve existing subsidized housing, according to the report.

State Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, who chairs the committee, said that he’d like to see more coordination among agencies to be better able to provide resources for individuals in need and that when dealing with these issues, there can be very different demographics of people needing very different assistance, from emergency housing and help with stabilizing to help with becoming a first-time home buyer looking for affordable housing.

“There’s not an established place that gives you one stop shop assistance. If you need utility assistance, rent assistance, to navigate [state agencies for assistance] that is the hardest thing for people to do. To navigate that system, you get one person on the phone, if you can get that person, but you can be dealing with two different issues [homelessness or affordable housing],” Muñoz said.

State Sen. Siah Corrrea Hemphill, D-Silver City, asked if out-of-state buyers who buy affordable homes and then turn them into short-term vacation rentals are part of the problem.

Gygi said it is contributing to the housing shortage. Hernandez said taking housing units off the market to turn into short-term rentals could impact affordability and “that may contribute to some homelessness.”

State Rep. Tara Lujan, D-Santa Fe, asked about landlords who won’t offer housing to individuals who rely on Section 8 vouchers.

Whitfield said the state has a landlord support program that provides incentives to landlords who will accept Section 8 vouchers and also help landlords who can’t meet inspection requirements for Section 8 housing to make necessary upgrades. The report recommended that the state dedicate additional funds to expand the landlord support program to encourage creation of more Section 8 eligible housing.

Whitfield said the state could benefit from creating a coordinated system among service providers and that cities that have been more successful with housing their homeless population have done this.

“If we can get service providers to say yes to that state-wide, we think we can move forward,” she said.

The report identified fragmented funding and a lack of central coordination as having the potential of leading to inefficiencies in how affordable housing is built.

State Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, spoke about the differences of unhoused individuals on tribal land versus urban settings where unhoused individuals might live on the street. Lente said homelessness is a “prevalent problem” on Native land and he said he worries that they are not as easily identifiable because they are less visible.

“On reservations, we don’t allow our people to go homeless. We give them a roof,” he said.

We're ad free

That means that we rely on support from readers like you. Help us keep reporting on the most important New Mexico Stories by donating today.

Related

Former LFC chair John Arthur Smith dies

Former LFC chair John Arthur Smith dies

Longtime powerful state senator John Arthur Smith, a conservative Democrat who wielded a large amount of power around the state budget for years, died…
How Native families are particularly impacted by food insecurity

How Native families are particularly impacted by food insecurity

One in five children in New Mexico and one in seven people in the state experience food insecurity, according to a report presented to…
New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

With 8,800 nurse positions posted for hiring in New Mexico, hospital leadership told the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday that access…
Conservation group pushes forward in effort to protect pinyon jay

Conservation group pushes forward in effort to protect pinyon jay

An advocacy group says that it will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if the federal government does not take action soon on…
SCOTUS rejects attempt to pause implementation of federal methane rule

SCOTUS rejects attempt to pause implementation of federal methane rule

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an attempt to delay the implementation of a federal rule intended to curb methane emissions from oil and gas…
Air Force extends comment period on low-altitude flights in the Gila area

Air Force extends comment period on low-altitude flights in the Gila area

Following requests from members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation, the U.S. Air Force has extended the comment period on a proposal to increase low-altitude…
MLG speaks about education during oil, gas industry meeting

MLG speaks about education during oil, gas industry meeting

New Mexico produces the second highest amount of oil and gas in the country. The taxes from oil and gas production provide funding for…
Early childhood summit convened to discuss future of program

Early childhood summit convened to discuss future of program

About 200 people from tribal governors to legislators to advocates and teachers gathered at Bishop’s Lodge to discuss Early Childhood Education’s future in New…
Stansbury outlines funding secured for early childhood and youth services programs

Stansbury outlines funding secured for early childhood and youth services programs

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury secured $8.3 million for childhood development and youth services in the 1st congressional district through federal community project funding. Stansbury,…
Heinrich introduces legislation to address affordable housing

Heinrich introduces legislation to address affordable housing

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, introduced legislation in the Senate on Monday that would provide tax credits to incentivize new investments and additional…
New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

With 8,800 nurse positions posted for hiring in New Mexico, hospital leadership told the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday that access…
As rhetoric around undocumented workers heats up, new report shows their tax contribution

As rhetoric around undocumented workers heats up, new report shows their tax contribution

A nonprofit group released data showing how much taxes migrants pay in the U.S. as rhetoric on immigration grows more prominent just months from…
Heinrich helps introduce resolution in response to death of Amber Nicole Thurman

Heinrich helps introduce resolution in response to death of Amber Nicole Thurman

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich helped to introduce a resolution on Tuesday in the Senate that every patient has the basic right to emergency health…
Project 2025: How a consolidation of federal power could ban abortion

Project 2025: How a consolidation of federal power could ban abortion

If Project 2025 becomes federal policy next year, it would upend abortion rights and reproductive healthcare through a reshaping of and consolidation of power…
New abortion clinic in Las Cruces expected to provide more abortion training

New abortion clinic in Las Cruces expected to provide more abortion training

One of the consequences of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision is the lack of abortion care training for medical residents training to become…
New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

New Mexico in critical nursing shortage

With 8,800 nurse positions posted for hiring in New Mexico, hospital leadership told the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday that access…
Heinrich helps introduce resolution in response to death of Amber Nicole Thurman

Heinrich helps introduce resolution in response to death of Amber Nicole Thurman

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich helped to introduce a resolution on Tuesday in the Senate that every patient has the basic right to emergency health…
WNMU: Grow your own rural healthcare providers pipeline 

WNMU: Grow your own rural healthcare providers pipeline 

Western New Mexico University wants to create a pipeline of programs with a rural healthcare focus to try to address the medical provider shortage…
New Mexico county, state election officials prepared for the election

New Mexico county, state election officials prepared for the election

Early and absentee voting for the general election began Tuesday in New Mexico, and county clerks were ready for all aspects of it including…
Poll: Vasquez holds 9 point lead in swing district race

Poll: Vasquez holds 9 point lead in swing district race

A poll finds that the Democratic incumbent has a significant lead in the race for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, considered a swing district…
Oil-and-gas giant gives big to dark money group

Oil-and-gas giant gives big to dark money group

By Trip Jennings, New Mexico In Depth Chevron Corporation gave the single largest contribution to a dark money group that attempted but failed to…
Conservation group pushes forward in effort to protect pinyon jay

Conservation group pushes forward in effort to protect pinyon jay

An advocacy group says that it will sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service if the federal government does not take action soon on…
MLG speaks about education during oil, gas industry meeting

MLG speaks about education during oil, gas industry meeting

New Mexico produces the second highest amount of oil and gas in the country. The taxes from oil and gas production provide funding for…
Poll: Vasquez holds 9 point lead in swing district race

Poll: Vasquez holds 9 point lead in swing district race

A poll finds that the Democratic incumbent has a significant lead in the race for New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, considered a swing district…

GET INVOLVED

© 2023 New Mexico Political Report