Community of Hope agencies warn of demand as SNAP and Medicaid cuts loom; Casa de Peregrinos asks city for $100,000

Leaders from the Community of Hope campus told the Las Cruces City Council work session on Monday that rising need and looming federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid are straining the campus’s shelters, food programs and health services, and Casa de Peregrinos asked the council to add $100,000 to its city funding this fiscal year.

The Community of Hope campus is a city-owned, 17-acre site housing Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (the master lessee) and sublessees including Casa de Peregrinos, Jardine de los Niños, Amador Health Center and El Caldito Soup Kitchen. Natalie Green, who introduced the presentations, said the city is developing a new master lease that will require services provided by the agencies to match or exceed a rent value and incorporate master-plan compliance and maintenance budgeting.

Why it matters: Campus agencies described high day-to-day demand for basic services — shelter, food and health care — and warned federal funding changes would increase reliance on local and philanthropic support. Casa de Peregrinos, which said it served 28,000 unique individuals in 2025, formally requested $100,000 in additional city funding to maintain operations.

Mesilla Valley Community of Hope deputy director Carrie Elapodaca summarized the campus role and service volume. "Since 1998, Community of Hope has provided services for people in need of shelter, case management, income support," she said. Elapodaca reported the organization served 10,894 people last year, including about 582 veterans; average time to housing for veterans was 26 days. She said Camp Hope sheltered 194 people last year and that the campus sees roughly 175 people sign in daily for showers, laundry and other day-shelter services.

Jardine de los Niños CEO Michelle Adamez described early childhood and family services at the campus’s Hardeen center, noting the center remains a five‑star early childhood program and is designated as a trauma‑informed care center. Adamez said the center serves roughly 350 families annually and that about 31 children are currently on the wait list for the 0–3 infant/toddler program.

Amador Health Center CEO Ron Fitzherbert described medical, behavioral health and substance‑use services at the campus clinic. Fitzherbert said Amador is a federally qualified health center and reported 1,059 patients in the first six months of the year, about 277 of whom had addresses on or adjacent to the campus; the clinic recorded nearly 4,000 visits during that period and provided roughly $250,000 in uncompensated care.

El Caldito’s representative (introduced as the soup kitchen’s director) said the operation served 159,490 meals last fiscal year while receiving roughly $32,000 in city support; the presenter said their actual cost per meal was about $3.43 (budgeted projection $5.75). The speaker said the kitchen will launch new fundraising events and a corporate volunteer program to stabilize volunteer capacity.

Casa de Peregrinos director Lorenzo Alba detailed food‑security operations and trending demand: he told the council the food program distributed about 7,400,000 (units not specified) of food in the past year and that 1 in 4 Dona Ana County families receive SNAP. "This campus deserves a good lease," Alba said as he urged the council to consider stronger, predictable support; he then formally requested an additional $100,000 in city funding to help keep the program operational should federal benefits be reduced.

Lease and campus planning: City staff said the current master lease for the campus expires at year-end; Natalie Green told council the present notional rent valuation was about $568,000 and that the agencies provided roughly $3.4 million in services-in-lieu of rent last year (and $2.3 million through February 2025). The draft new lease under development is expected to be five years with up to four renewals to help agencies secure long‑term grants, and staff said a requirement will be that programming conform to the campus master plan. Staff also listed capital and maintenance priorities: kitchen design, Amador Crossing housing, solar installations, roof and restroom repairs, heating/cooling upgrades, parking and a possible emergency exit driveway.

Funding and federal cuts: Multiple presenters and councilors said the agencies rely heavily on a mix of federal grants (HRSA, CDBG and other congressional funding), foundation grants and private donors. Presenters warned that proposed federal reductions to SNAP and Medicaid would increase local demand and reduce clients’ ability to pay for basic needs and medical care. City staff said the city is monitoring state and federal developments, including a planned New Mexico special legislative session to address funding changes.

Councillors and agency leaders discussed federal advocacy and past congressional appropriations; agency leaders said they and the city have pursued congressional directed spending, state capital outlay and private foundation support but that such funds are not a full substitute for consistent operating revenue.

Questions and next steps: Councilors asked about the proportion of agencies’ revenue that comes from the city; speakers said city funding is a small percentage of most agency budgets (Casa de Peregrinos estimated roughly $42,000–$45,000 of planned city support for the year against a $1.9 million budget). City staff said they will finalize lease negotiations and continue to coordinate with agencies on maintenance and capital projects. Casa de Peregrinos’ $100,000 request was recorded during the session but no vote or appropriation was taken.

The council noted the urgency of the impending federal changes and said staff will remain engaged with legislative advocacy and coordination with the campus organizations.