THESE ARE YOUR MOTHERS, UNCLES, FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS

The faces of the current housing crisis in Albuquerque are regular people; your aunt, your brother, your children, your coworker. Every week, NMBLC serves more walk-ins from ID residents about to be evicted or scrambling to cobble together vouchers to keep from landing on the street. We’re visited by people who literally have all their belongings—and their children—in the car outside and have no recourse whatsoever. NMBLC has been paying close attention to this escalating crisis since the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) was gutted— without warning—two months back. Absent political will and conscience, the only way to sound the alarm loudly enough for the Powers That Be to act on the terrible tales we’re hearing is to bring faces, voices, and names to their attention.

So, that’s what we did. With Highland Cluster Community School Coordinators, we interviewed a half-dozen residents to capture the reality of their situation for an upcoming Albuquerque City Council meeting. Here are a few we witnessed:

Maria: Mother of 2 kids with 2 dogs living in motels and couch-surfing since last September; her breadwinning husband had “domestic issues” and left during the pandemic; fell behind on rent and when the City offered to pay it back, the property owner declined; put everything in storage and her car; looks for work but has car trouble and food stamps have been delayed because she has no set address; current motel has roaches but someone gave her a microwave to cook with.

Brenda: Mother of 5; a Spanish-speaking APS custodian who fell behind on rent after an injury; forced to throw out food and beds due to rodents and bed bugs in her apartment on Dallas NE; T&C Management promised an “emergency order” to remedy the situation but has stalled indefinitely; unsheltered people defecate in the courtyard outside her apartment, and in January, rent was raised to over $1400, forcing her eldest 2 children to quit Highland High School to work.

Cherie: Working mother of 2 has lived 5+ years at Madeira Flats and never missed rent; was given a 4-week notice to vacate in February; landlord is brand-new and wouldn’t answer why she and other tenants were made to leave; “My kids are aware. With the day [to leave] getting closer, my anxiety is getting higher because of the rental rates right now. It’s just really ridiculous.”