City task force outlines steps to streamline housing vouchers; final vendor selection targeted for Oct. 17

The City of Albuquerque's housing voucher task force told the City Council on Aug. 18 that it has submitted an implementation plan, drafted an RFQ for a citywide voucher data platform and expects to select a vendor Oct. 17.

The task force, formed in January 2025 to support Resolution R24109, is staffed by city housing, health and homelessness personnel, council staff and nonprofit representatives. The group has worked in three subcommittees — policy, coordinated entry and data — to address problems in how motel vouchers, rapid rehousing vouchers, permanent supportive housing vouchers and project-based vouchers are administered.

The task force lead told the council that "people receive a voucher by going through what we call our coordinated entry system," and described the local process used by the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness and community access points to assess and prioritize applicants for different voucher types.

Why it matters: Councilors said they want clearer, consistent rules and more timely data so constituents and nonprofit providers can track voucher progress. The task force is aiming to reduce confusion about how vouchers are distributed and to create public-facing information and operational tools.

What the task force reported

- Implementation plan and engagement: The group submitted an implementation plan in April and conducted a provider engagement survey in May to gather feedback from nonprofits outside the task force.

- Policy work: The policy subcommittee has drafted recommendations to standardize internal processes, including rent-reasonableness checks, invoicing timelines, homeless-verification flexibility and grievance procedures. The group is reviewing the city’s project-based voucher procedures.

- Coordinated entry: The task force and the coalition have identified referral and training gaps and are designing a housing resource center as a central access point. The presenter said an RFQ for related services has been drafted and is with council staff for review.

- Data and technology: The data subcommittee validated baseline voucher records in HMIS and PeopleSoft, mapped city funding processes and prepared an RFQ for an integrated data platform. Planned features include a public voucher dashboard, an electronic reimbursement portal, a client feedback module and secure API links to other systems.

Funding and timing

The task force said the RFQ for a data technology vendor will be released shortly and that the goal is a final vendor selection on Oct. 17. The presentation noted a separate short-term need to fund a data analyst to manually clean and report baseline HMIS data; the presenter said the city is seeking a state appropriation to pay for that analyst and described the analyst funding need as $27,000 pending state user-agreement processes.

Council discussion and questions

Councilors asked how people are placed on voucher wait lists and how eligibility is determined. The presenter replied that access points use a VI-SPDAT assessment, which assigns an acuity score and places applicants in priority order; when vouchers become available, clients at the top of the list are contacted and offered assistance.

On program rules, the presenter said: "A voucher is essentially rental assistance" and explained that the provider typically pays landlords directly while clients pay a portion of rent if applicable.

Councilors also asked about tracking and outcomes. ACS staff reported that navigators and outreach teams are following clients into housing and that the street outreach navigation program had placed 62 people in long-term housing, with follow-up to support housing retention.

Public and stakeholder comments cited funding shortfalls and urged additional voucher resources. At the meeting, an advocate for the task force said the city’s voucher pool had dropped over several years, stating, "it actually went from 16,000,000. The housing budget... went to 12 and then it went to 8," and warned the task force work would be limited without increased funding. The councilor and task force members agreed the work’s impact depends on increased voucher funding.

Ending

The task force plans to release the RFQ for the data platform soon, seek a vendor by mid-October and pursue state authorization for the temporary data analyst. Councilors urged continued transparency, public dashboards and quick releases of interim data while the full technology solution is built.