ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For years now, city leaders championed the long-awaited Gateway Center as their top solution to homelessness, but construction issues are still causing delays.

Mayor Tim Keller made it clear during his State of the City speech that the city will need even more resources to address homelessness. That includes converting old hotels into housing.

Near I-40 and San Mateo, work is underway to convert the San Mateo Inn into the city’s first major Gateway Center expansion.

“We have very focused programs for men and women and family. But I think that recognizing that 20 year olds, 21 year olds, need a very different environment is exactly what we’re focused on,” said Dr. Samantha Sengel, the city’s chief administration officer.

That is what they expect the old San Mateo Inn to provide once crews finish renovations.

“We’re right in the phase right now of determining the level of the renovation that’s going to require. So we’re all aiming for 2025,” said Sengel. 

The city purchased the building for nearly $5 million earlier this year. They plan to convert it into the city’s first youth homeless facility.

A recent report found a significant group of 15-to-25-year-olds experiencing homelessness never utilize the city’s existing resources.

“A lot of our young adults do not access adult-based services, because they don’t consider themselves necessarily to be adults, even though they’re 18, 19,” said Gilbert Ramirez, the director of the city’s Health, Housing, and Homelessness Department. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean facilities, like the Westside Shelter, are the right place for them either.

“They’re at a stage in their life that they need different types of support. And if we have a dedicated location for them, we can ensure that they have appropriate supports,” Sengel said. 

That’s the big idea behind the city’s Gateway Center expansion plan. The plan calls for a network of five different facilities providing specific resources for specific groups.

• The Gateway Center will provide navigational services for women and men
• Westside Shelter (“Gateway West”) will provide 600 beds for whoever needs them
• Youth Gateway Center will house “30-50 young adults at a time”
• Another converted hotel will offer services for families experiencing homelessness
• Recovery Gateway

The Recovery Gateway is still in the planning stages. The vision is to create a micro-community dedicated for people suffering from addiction.

“This is a system of support and we recognize that when you have individuals who are sleeping in a shelter, the most important thing we can do is ensure that they have access to support services,” Sengel said. “Supporting individuals with true case management and walking along with them where they are and bringing them to housing. That model has been proven out in not only in Albuquerque and other places.”

By this time next year, city leaders expect their entire Gateway system will be able to help up to 1,500 people a night. Of course, that depends on if these new projects meet their deadlines.

But when can we expect the original Gateway Center to be fully up and running? It has been under construction for almost three years now.

It seems the city is betting on next summer.

Sengel says there’s already more than 300 people utilizing the Gateway Center right now. They’re hoping to open a new sobering center this fall and a navigation center for men in the winter.

There have been delays and a lot of talk, especially about the $70 million price tag that city, state and federal funds are covering, so it’s easy to assume the worst about the project. But city leaders are asking the community to think about the big picture.

“We really need the community to believe in this model and get behind us in the sense that this is the place that we are investing to ensure that people have the support they need to move them from unhoused and living on the street through support services, and moving them towards the opportunity to be housed,” said Sengel. 

City leaders say more announcements about the Gateway Center are coming this fall.