ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After a struggle to find someone to run Albuquerque’s westside homeless shelter, the city said things are working out. Now the nonprofit running Gateway West is about to take on an even bigger role in helping the city’s homeless population.
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It’s the largest homeless shelter in New Mexico. Gateway West on the west side of Albuquerque saw a shift in leadership in December from the non-profit Heading Home to another nonprofit, Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), who said far operations have been good. “We’re building our foundation; we’re getting policies in place. I think that everything’s running really well, our main goal right now is making sure that with that transition the clients understand new expectations of us as the new operator,” said Serena Sierra Fazio, Senior Director of social services for CPLC, NM.
She said one hardship has been getting the shelter residents adjusted to their organization’s rules. “Our main goal is making sure we’re providing a safe and healthy environment for them, and before I think there was a lot of hoarding that was happening there,” said Fazio.
Last year, when the city was trying to find a new operator for Gateway West, they struggled to attract applicants, finally, they found CPLC. “It’s a lot to manage and make sure it’s running seamlessly and there can be hiccups, and that’s okay. CPLC has been great at working through those hiccups,” said Jennifer McDonald, Gateway Operations officer…