Local leaders break ground on $38 million West Central affordable housing project

Local government and business leaders ceremonially broke ground on a $38 million affordable housing project a block off West Central on Thursday.

Over the next year, construction crews will renovate defunct public housing off West Central and 60th NW and build additional units, ultimately providing 88 new or refurbished apartments for low-income families.

Thursday’s celebration brought together leaders from nonprofits, the private sector and local government, including Bernalillo County Commissioner Barbara Baca.

“This is my home,” Baca said. “I went to John Adams Middle School and West Mesa High School. So welcome, and I'm so excited for this housing project to be moving forward.”

The project, called Casitas del Camino, combined millions in federal, state, city and county government funds in an attempt to address what politicians and activists have called a housing crisis.

According to a 2024 study, Albuquerque is lacking approximately 22,000 affordable units for low-income renters.

Casitas del Camino will provide what Linda Bridge, executive director of the Albuquerque Housing Authority, called “truly affordable” housing for families.

Families who make 60% of the area median income (AMI) or less are eligible to live at Casitas del Camino. That amounts to a maximum of $49,000 a year for a family of three.

Forty-four units will be reserved for families earning 60% AMI or less, while 17 units are limited to families making 50% AMI or less. Twenty-seven units will be for the lowest-income residents who make 30% AMI or less. That’s approximately $24,700 a year for a family of three. 

The site will also include a playground, basketball court and community building.

Mayor Tim Keller congratulated the housing authority on the project, saying that, once built, the apartments will bring much-needed stability to the lives of local children.

“These kids are going to grow up in a home, instead of going from hotel to hotel or instead of going from apartment to apartment on short-term leases,” Keller said. “They're going to have a place that they come home to year after year.”

The project is expected to finish construction in about a year, Bridge said, after which prospective tenants can apply through the housing authority.

 Gillian Barkhurst is the local government reporter for the Journal. She can be reached at gbarkhurst@abqjournal.com.