Let’s honor yours. HONORING FAMILIES HTRUST.COM ∙ 575.758.7700 ∙ Offices in Taos, Santa Fe & Albuquerque A state-chartered, locally-owned, independent trust company 15.3% — 45 to 54 years old; 10% — 55 to 61 years old; and 8.2% — 62+ years old. So, what are we doing and what can we do in New Mexico to alleviate the homelessness crisis? The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA), the state’s Housing Authority, has made great progress in establishing a roadmap for handling the homelessness issue. In 2022, for homelessness assistance and prevention, more than 5,075 people experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness received housing assistance from MFA’s nonprofit partners. MFA’s funding to those partners totaled $4.9 million. Homelessness was prevented for 935 individuals who received just over $3.1 million in MFA-funded rental assistance. The MFA has developed a call to action to create a stable housing environment for persons experiencing homelessness and with special needs. The actions will address the following: • New Mexico needs to expand its range of evidence-proven and housing+services models, tailored to local needs, to address homelessness. • Urban areas need both sitebased and scattered site models. Predevelopment funding, developer capacity, deeper subsidies and adequate and consistent supportive services are needed to create successful exits from homelessness. • Small (less than 30 units) housing+services developments or scattered site developments are often the best solution in rural counties, yet funding favors larger developments. Rural areas need adequate and consistent supportive services for small and scattered site single-family homes. • Lack of a comprehensive behavioral health care system makes it difficult for housing providers, including private sector property managers, to address the complex needs of tenants. Providers may not recognize the behavioral health needs of residents and be unsure of how to properly address challenges, perpetuating the cycle of housing instability. The number of Americans living without homes, in shelters or on the streets continues to rise in many areas of the country at an alarming rate. 9
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