The Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (formerly the Albuquerque Mental Health Housing Coalition) was founded in 1996 in response to local service providers’ recognition of a community-wide gap in safe and affordable housing for homeless and near-homeless persons with behavioral health disorders. The organization’s mission is to prevent and reduce homelessness and increase the quality of life for people with behavioral health issues in New Mexico by creating affordable, supportive housing in partnership with local communities and member agencies. Founding agency members are Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless, St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, Transitional Living Services and the University of New Mexico Psychiatric Center. The Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHC-NM) later welcomed the New Mexico Veterans Administration Medical Systems of Albuquerque as a member.

SHC-NM has successfully spearheaded housing activities in coordination with Coalition member agencies, other collaborating partners, and the clients they serve. The organization specializes in the development, ownership and management of supportive housing while community partners refer and place residents and offer a comprehensive range of supportive services to optimize the health, recovery, independence and housing stability of our residents. Formal collaboration enables SHC-NM and partnering agencies to pool resources, reduce competition, better coordinate service delivery, increase efficiencies, and embrace a broader strategy for creating supportive housing.  

Currently, SHC-NM offers the following housing services in Albuquerque for persons with disabilities, formerly homeless persons, and near homeless individuals and families:

• Transitional housing, re-entry/crisis housing, independent living, affordable housing, group home, and permanent supportive housing (150 person capacity);
• Administration of 240 tenant-based rental assistance vouchers using a Housing First model, which is a supportive housing approach designed to assist homeless persons in accessing and maintaining affordable housing (working with over 70 different participating landlords in the private rental market); and
• Distribution of one-time emergency grants for move-in assistance and eviction prevention to help low-income families and individuals avoid homelessness. (Nearly 1,100 households served to date and over $800,000 disbursed.)

In 2005, SHC-NM launched the Statewide Housing Development Initiative in collaboration with the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, expanding its geographic scope with the goal of working in smaller cities and rural communities throughout New Mexico to build local capacity and to expand the availability of affordable supportive housing for low-income, disabled, homeless and near-homeless persons and families. This initiative grew out of the recommendations made by a task force convened by Lt. Governor Diane Denish. Presently, SHC-NM has two housing development projects outside of Albuquerque. In July 2008 the construction of Chuska Apartments was completed in Gallup. An award winning project, Chuska Apartments is a 30-unit low income housing tax credit project that combines mixed-income households, supportive housing and sustainable green design elements and is a collaborative project with CARE 66, our local nonprofit service partner. Our second rural housing development project is Vista Gallinas in Las Vegas, offering 15 units for chronic mentally ill persons, which opened in February 2010.

SHC-NM has demonstrated leadership and expertise in affordable supportive housing development for special needs populations in New Mexico. The organization has successfully secured over $16 million in funding from federal, state and local government sources, and local and national foundations, including New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, City of Albuquerque Family & Community Services Department, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and Enterprise Community Partners.