Bernalillo County asks state for major housing investments, highlights behavioral-health housing

At a news conference at the Bernalillo County Rotunda, county officials outlined legislative priorities and asked the state Legislature to fund a slate of housing and behavioral-health housing projects intended to expand affordable units, senior housing and transitional housing for people in recovery.

Commissioner Adrianne Barbova, vice chair and District 3 commissioner, said the county and the City of Albuquerque have developed “ambitious, creative, and thoughtful solutions” and asked lawmakers for specific funding requests. “We are requesting $2,000,000 to build and furnish cottages and renovate a former clinic for use as affordable and transitional housing in the International District,” Barbova said.

The nut of the county’s pitch is a joint request with the city for $100,000,000 intended to create 2,000 new housing units and rehabilitate more than 800 existing units; Barbova said the larger joint request would total about $79,000,000 in the county’s messaging. She also said $51,000,000 could finish eight projects already under construction within a year, and that the county last year received $3,000,000 in state funds used to acquire four properties for future affordable housing…