New women’s recovery house dedicated to Alana Gamboa

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There’s a new place in Albuquerque for women to go when they have nowhere else to go — a place that can be life-saving.

The group’s mission is to help women get back on their feet after going through any number of hardships, like addiction or homelessness. They do that by providing a safe home to stay in while these women work on a fresh start for their lives. 

“We opened up the women’s home and next, you know, became like a giant family,” said Tomas Maes, co-founder of Frontline Resurrection. 

Tomas and Renee Maes are the co-founders of Frontline Resurrection. 

“It’s a place where women who are in transition from incarceration, addiction, homelessness, abusive relationships, and human trafficking, can come to find safety and refuge to have a safe space to live, to heal, to rebuild their lives to dream again,” said Renee. 

Renee says she knows how hard it can be to rebuild your life. She’s overcome a lot of these things herself. 

Now, Frontline Resurrection has added its fourth house to help women. They say this one is special. 

“We want to name it the Alana Gamboa House, because it’s going to represent youth, new life, and it’s going to represent dreams, dreams that have fallen by the wayside,” Renee said. 

Alana Gamboa was 19 when police say a group of teens shot and killed her in her car on the Fourth of July. 

Her mother, Andrea Aguirre, says she and Alana came to Albuquerque almost 10 years ago to rebuild their lives.

“Alana comes from an environment of addiction because her mom lived it. But we came here with the will to want to leave that life,” said Andrea Aguirre, Gamboa’s mother. 

So when Frontline Resurrection reached out about naming a house after Alana – Aguirre says she was overwhelmed. 

Alana’s photo hangs in the house now, and it’s called “Alana’s House.” 

“I remember Alana just being so happy to be there, hands on helping the homeless, feeding the homeless, serving the homeless. So just knowing that her name, Alana Gamboa, is going to be a part of this like this community now is just it’s touching,” said Aguirre. 

Her picture is a reminder of dreams that can still come true. 

“Now when the women sit here with Alana’s graduation picture as an inspiration of education and, you know, starting their lives new,” Renee said. 

This is just one story of how gun violence changed a New Mexican family forever.  

On Monday, there will be a “Stand for Justice” rally. It’s a way for families like Gamboa’s to share what happened to their loved ones, and meet others in similar situations. 

The event is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Firehouse Subs on San Mateo and Montgomery.