'They understand you': Finding shelter and recovery at the Good Shepherd Center

If you ask Lee Gonzales what part of his day he looks forward to the most, the answer would be 4 p.m. That’s when he begins his work shift at the Good Shepherd Center.

Opened Jan. 19, 1951, at the direction of the late Archbishop of Santa Fe Edwin V. Byrne, the Good Shepherd Center is the oldest continuously operating men’s homeless shelter in Albuquerque.

“I can’t wait to start my day off,” said Gonzales, 46. He works the overnight shift at the center, where he assists with getting the “overnighters” showered and settled in their beds.

“Working with the overnighters really excites me because they are happy to be here, and they tell me ‘thank you’ and I see a smile on their face,” Gonzales said.

In addition to offering overnight shelter to those in need, the center also serves an average of 275 meals per day. It offers a Fresh Start program for those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and respite beds for those recovering from medical treatments.

The nonprofit center, at 218 Iron SW, also can assist with housing, offers a mail service to homeless people and provides clothing to those in need.

The overnight shelter program for which Gonzales works not only provides a warm bed but also a shower, toothbrush and toothpaste and hygiene products like shampoo and soap.

“The men who come to us for overnight shelter have been wandering the streets of Albuquerque all day,” said Brother Nicholas Foran, executive director of the Good Shepherd Center. “They’re tired, they’re probably hungry and they just want to have a quiet, peaceful evening.”

Those seeking shelter for the night must line up outside the shelter from 5-6 p.m. and pass a breathalyzer test before they are allowed entry. Once admitted, they are provided with the items mentioned above and a clean set of pajamas.

At 8 p.m., they are fed community-donated snacks — anything from donuts and coffee to pizza and enchiladas. “Where else can you get snacks before you go to bed? We treat them the way we want to be treated,” said Charles Schreiner, director of operations at the Good Shepherd Center.

The center consists of 54 beds in the dormitory area, where the roughly 50 participants in the Fresh Start program sleep, alongside those seeking overnight shelter beds. During the winter months, the center also provides 20 bedrolls for the overflow of “overnighters.”

Each made up of a red sleeping bed, tan blanket and a pillow, five of the bedrolls were strewn across the center’s dining room floor on Tuesday night.

Those seeking overnight shelter with the center for the first time also receive a “seven-night card,” which guarantees them a bed for seven nights at the shelter.

Some of the overnighters have been sleeping at the shelter for longer than he has been working there, which is 10 years. That comfort level could be attributed to the staff and their understanding, according to Gonzales, who is a recent graduate of the Fresh Start program.

Gonzales said he had been addicted to meth and alcohol since he was 12. At the start of 2023, he was living in Colorado Springs, still struggling with his addiction. Citing the need to make a change, he began searching for an addiction recovery program.

“I checked out a couple of programs, but (Good Shepherd’s program) is the first one that I (saw), and it just felt good to me,” he said. “The way the staff treats you, they really understand you, they really work with you.”

Photos: Preparing a community meal at the Good Shepherd Center

Gonzales enrolled in the Fresh Start program in April, and during his time in the six-month program, he said he took several courses that taught him not to react to his initial thought and methods on how to calm himself down.

Gonzales and each participant who enrolls in Fresh Start also receive shelter, regular meals, counseling and treatment and attend meetings, all while working at the center.

Gonzales graduated from the program in October and said the center is helping him find housing. He recently celebrated nine months and one week of sobriety.

“Everybody in (the Good Shepherd Center) is really like family,” Gonzales said. “They’re my brothers.”