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APS and county outline housing-stability partnerships; APS reports 3,055 students experiencing homelessness
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Summary
APS McKinney-Vento staff described a family-and-youth stabilization pilot expanded with state routed funds, reporting 3,055 students identified as experiencing homelessness; Bernalillo County detailed eviction-prevention disbursements and a Burnco Builds home-rehab forgivable-loan program.
Albuquerque Public Schools and Bernalillo County officials reported on coordinated efforts to stabilize housing for families and students, describing rapid-assistance pilots, flexible funding and home-repair loans.
Crystal Wilson, director of McKinney-Vento and foster-care services at APS, said the district identifies students through outreach and screening tools and reported 3,055 students experiencing homelessness identified as of the presentation. Wilson described a DWS/Public Education Department-routed grant that initially proposed $5 million over 24 months to serve up to 600 families; funding became available to APS on Oct. 25, 2025, but the timeline was shortened so that funds must be expended by June 30, 2026.
Wilson said APS has worked with 82 families under the grant so far, spending roughly $237,000 in March on flexible funds to stabilize housing, and has disbursed just under $400,000 to date across items such as move-in costs and rent assistance. “We have worked extremely hard without the additional 11 staff members to be able to spend this money in the timeline that we have,” she told commissioners.
Bernalillo County described complementary work. Carrie Ellis outlined Burnco Builds, a home-rehabilitation forgivable-loan program that can provide up to $40,000 per eligible homeowner for safety and accessibility repairs (0% interest, forgivable after 10 years if the owner remains in the home). Ellis said 10 homes were completed since January, 11 are under construction and seven in preconstruction.
County staff also summarized a $1.5 million state homelessness-prevention allocation the county quickly deployed for eviction prevention and rent assistance, noting nearly 1,860 people maintained or accessed housing through recent statewide and county funds. The county emphasized a low-barrier intake process: family needs were believed and rapid payments to landlords were prioritized to avoid eviction.
Commissioners praised the cross-sector collaboration and urged continued data collection on outcomes (for example, whether children remained in school and housing stability sustained). Several speakers said durable outcome metrics will help determine whether nonrecurring settlement funds merit recurring public investment.
No formal action was taken; staff will continue coordinating and refining data collection.
