Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
SANTA FE – The Española Pathways Shelter got a step closer to providing housing for people in COVID-19 quarantine after the Santa Fe County Commission approved distributing $500,000 in CARES Act funding to purchase a motel for the shelter.
The shelter is currently in talks to buy the Eagle Village Motel on Riverside Drive in Española. The motel will be able to house about 14 to 17 people in quarantine, said Rep.-elect Roger Montoya, D-Velarde, who is also a shelter board member.
All commissioners voted in favor of the funding, except Commissioner Hank Hughes, who recused himself because he is part of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, which supports the shelter.
“The funding is critical because it’s very difficult to serve this population of homeless individuals due to COVID restrictions in the traditional bunk bed-style setting, which is what (this) nonprofit is set up to do,” Montoya said.
The commissioners authorized County Manager Katherine Miller to sign off on the purchase – the cost is expected to be about $420,000 – after an appraisal and inspection.
The motel owners are selling the building and Miller said she didn’t want to see the motel sold out from under the shelter, the only homeless shelter in northern Santa Fe County.
Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, the motel would be used for transitional housing, Montoya said. The shelter currently has emergency housing that people can use, but the motel rooms would give people long-term help, he said.
Those who use the long-term housing will have intensive case management oversight by the shelter. The rooms have limited facilities, such as a private bathroom, microwave, coffee pot and internet service, Montoya said.
“It just gives us another layer of supportive services in the continuum of care, which is so critical in this particular population from initial intake to, hopefully, what becomes a stable living and supportive housing scenario,” Montoya said.
He said he is thankful for the willingness of Santa Fe County to “seize this moment” and to serve one of the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office renewed its memorandum of understanding with the Los Alamos County Police Department.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza said it will help shorten response times. With limited personnel, it takes time for deputies to respond to the corner of the county that borders Los Alamos, he said.
