Bernalillo County asks state for $179 million in housing and behavioral‑health funding

Bernalillo County officials on Wednesday urged the New Mexico Legislature to fund a package of housing and behavioral‑health projects that county leaders say would expand affordable units and transitional supports across the Albuquerque metro area.

The county is seeking $100 million toward a joint city–county project to build 2,000 new housing units and rehabilitate more than 800 existing units; county leaders said an additional $33 million would support behavioral‑health transitional housing and services. County Vice Chair and District 3 Commissioner Adrianne Barbova said the county is also asking for smaller, targeted grants including $2 million for cottages and renovation of a former clinic in the International District, $1.5 million for a 60‑unit senior complex on county‑owned land at Sixth and Cole and $500,000 for upgrades to 75 homes serving low‑income seniors.

"Our wonderful community is dealing with the problem common to many others nationwide," Commissioner Adrianne Barbova said. "We face a significant shortage of affordable housing. It hurts my heart to know that not all our residents enjoy the comfort, the dignity, the security, or especially right now, the warmth of an affordable home." She said the county is partnering with the City of Albuquerque, private developers and nonprofits on the requests.

State Representative Janelle Newnordi, who identified herself as representing House District 19, told the press conference the legislature is pursuing both traditional and creative approaches, including expanding community land trusts and a creditworthiness program to help tenants with prior evictions or damaged credit qualify for rentals. "Last year, we were able to create a $2 million investment in a community land trust so that residents can own their own land," Newnordi said.

Senator Debbie O'Malley, a longtime affordable‑housing advocate and founder of the Sawmill Community Land Trust, said the county and city worked together to prioritize projects that need gap funding. She highlighted multifamily cooperative housing as a potential model to provide equity and stability for residents.

Dr. Wayne Lindstrom, Deputy County Manager for Behavioral Health, framed housing as central to recovery and outlined the county's behavioral‑health funding requests. He said the county and city have a joint ask of about $79 million, and Bernalillo County's portion includes roughly $33 million for projects that could be implemented more quickly than large affordable‑housing developments.

"We can't do this alone. We need the partnership of our state lawmakers and the governor to make these projects a reality," Dr. Lindstrom said. He described three specific proposals included in the county request: a $20 million project to build 30 transitional units that would allow stays up to two years for people with complex health and behavioral‑health needs; a $7 million hotel conversion adding roughly 100–150 rooms to serve families and seniors for stays up to six months; and a roughly $6 million expansion of tiny home villages to add three sites serving up to 90 people for shorter transitional stays.

County officials also described existing programs they said would be expanded or complemented by the new funding: Tiny Home Village on Zuni, which offers up to 24 months of transitional housing with care management; a family wellness shelter housed in a hotel; and the CARE campus (historically known as MATS), which provides comprehensive services including transitional recovery housing for pregnant people and young mothers.

Commissioners said some projects are ‘‘shovel‑ready’’ and could use $51 million to finish eight developments already under construction, while other requests focus on new builds and conversions. County Manager Cindy Chavez was cited by speakers as providing leadership for the county's legislative agenda.

The county did not report any formal votes at the press conference. Officials said they had provided a project list to legislators and asked for the state's continued partnership and for community organizations to support clients as they move through transitional programs.

The announcement combined housing and behavioral‑health priorities into a coordinated ask to address both long‑term affordable housing shortages and short‑term transitional needs for people experiencing homelessness or recovery from substance use disorder.