Albuquerque buys a hotel to create a new housing program focused on young adults

The city of Albuquerque will open a temporary housing facility for young adults ages 18-25 at the San Mateo Inn building, city leaders announced Friday.

“We don’t always see these young people on the streets,” City Councilor Renee Grout said. “They might be couch surfing. They might be in cars. They’re kind of invisible.”

A 2022 needs assessment focused on young people and homelessness completed by Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation for the city made a conservative estimate that 1,242 to 2,314 people ages 15-25 were homeless in Bernalillo County.

The city closed on the building two weeks ago for a $4.7 million price tag. The funding includes local, state and federal dollars, and more funds have already been secured for the project to help pay for construction and abatement costs that may be needed. The building was purchased from the previous hotel owner, Yvette Kimmel.

The hotel at 2424 San Mateo NE was in operation until near the end of April. The city is aiming to complete renovations and open doors on the shelter in summer 2025, said Gilbert Ramirez, Health, Housing and Homelessness director.

The San Mateo Inn is across the street from a bus stop, a short drive from the University of New Mexico or Central New Mexico Community College, and adjacent to many businesses.

“It’s near a lot of different job opportunities, so they can actually be here and be getting job assistance,” Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn said. The location is also in the middle of District 7, which Fiebelkorn represents.

“It’s also around a lot of fun things to do. I think it’s really important that when we’re putting together a shelter for unhoused people of any age, but particularly young people, we do it where they’re able to access fun. We want them to be part of our community,” she said.

The temporary housing should be similar to the model of the city’s temporary family housing shelter, which helps families transition out of homelessness through a 90-day program at a hotel the city leases, according to city spokeswoman Katie Simon. More than 1,300 people have been rehoused through that program since it opened in December 2020, Simon said.

But this is the first shelter specifically for adults ages 18-25 in New Mexico, said Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., who helped secure $1.5 million in federal money for the project.

The exact criteria for getting into the transitional housing have not been decided yet, Ramirez said.

Inside the Southwest-style building is a lobby still in good condition, with metal chandeliers and a pair of ristras on display. The hotel has 106 rooms, but city staff do not know yet what the housing capacity will be after upgrades are made.

A young-adult focused shelter should help create a safety net for people who have recently turned 18 and do not have one, according to Ramirez. The transitional housing program could help young adults exiting the foster care system or getting out of jail, Simon said.

“I’ve been working with young people a long time in this community, and in Albuquerque, and in our state, there’s no lack of talent. But there’s been a huge lack of resources for the nourishment of that talent,” Ramirez said. “This is one huge first step to make sure that we are fertilizing that and cultivating it and removing one huge obstacle, which is that if you don’t know where you’re going to eat, sleep or live, then how do you flourish?”

City leaders and New Mexico politicians announce young adult housing navigation center