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Gallup officials weigh moving emergency warming shelter to a longer-term service model
Summary
City behavioral-health staff and partners reported rapid deployment of a warming station under an Emergency Declaration and asked the council for guidance on shifting from short-term emergency operations to a sustained service model in light of rising homelessness and exposure-related injuries.
City staff on March 10 told the Gallup City Council that a state-funded warming station stood up under an Emergency Declaration filled a gap this winter but now requires direction to transition to a longer-term service model.
Debra Martinez, Behavioral Health Manager, said the shelter was opened quickly after State Workforce Department funding and the city’s emergency declaration expedited the response. Martinez presented intake data and operational findings and asked the council whether to pursue a sustained model. "We benchmarked against established shelter models to quantify service efficacy and are exploring partnering with the Navajo Nation for regional service expansion," Martinez said.
Dr. Valory Wanger described rising local homelessness trends and an uptick in exposure-related hospital injuries, attributing part of the increase to rising national housing costs. Former Warming Shelter Director Alexis Lucero reported operational lessons learned and credited a 11-member staff for establishing procedures; Gallup Express Director Tommy Mims said protocols were revised to maximize accessibility and that "no female individual was denied service."
Council discussion focused on staffing, transportation links (Gallup Express local-match requirements), funding sustainability, interagency coordination with Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Saint Joseph's Shelter and the Navajo Nation, and whether the city should move from an emergency model to ongoing service. No formal policy decision was made; staff were directed to return with options and cost estimates.
