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Council awards six‑month contract for Agape House shelter; staff emphasize 24‑hour model, stronger metrics and oversight
Summary
After a competitive RFP, Santa Fe approved a six‑month contract for Urban Alchemy to operate Agape House as a 24‑hour emergency shelter with enhanced reporting, performance metrics and 26.5 FTE specified in the contract; staff said early data indicate reductions in emergency calls.
The governing body voted Wednesday to approve a six‑month professional services contract with Urban Alchemy to operate the Agape House emergency shelter after a competitive procurement and a period of emergency operations.
City staff described the change as a move to a stronger, performance‑based contract. Leah Azul Salivi, director of Youth and Family Services, said the 24‑hour model improves stability for guests who were previously required to leave daily under a 16‑hour model. “The 24‑hour model means a guest can stay and get respite and repair,” she said, arguing the approach supports deeper case management and better outcomes.
Staff described the monitoring regime: weekly public‑safety data pulls from the regional emergency communications center, weekly outcome and demographic reporting from the operator, quarterly performance reports, regular site visits, and escalation procedures for neighborhood concerns. The proposed contract specifies 26.5 FTE on site, job descriptions and pay scales to be provided, and new standardized compliance measures that staff intend to apply to other homelessness contracts.
Urban Alchemy’s data — referenced by staff — show reduced emergency calls: staff cited a press‑reported figure that fire, police and EMS calls were down about 48% in the early months of 2026 versus the prior year; city staff said they are continuing to verify and standardize data across providers.
Council members asked detailed questions about staffing, recruitment of staff with lived experience, bed utilization policy (occupancy targets around 90–95%), and plans for finding longer‑term non‑congregate or durable shelter sites to replace the current, temporary 281 Seros Road location. Staff said the contract includes two optional six‑month extensions and that renewals would return to council for approval.
The council voted to approve the award; staff said a public dashboard and additional monitoring will follow.
Note on procurement language and numbers: the procurement readout in the meeting packet listed a six‑month amount for the contract; the transcript contains a partial figure read aloud (recorded as “1,343,93”); staff said final contract paperwork and the packet contain the precise contractual sum and will be posted with the city’s contract records.
