Saranam gets $732k to further help homeless families in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque nonprofit Saranam is getting over $730,000 to further develop transitional housing for families in the metro.

The board of directors with Housing New Mexico signed off on $732,939 for Saranam during its Dec. 18 meeting.

For 20 years, Saranam has given nearly 200 homeless families a space to live and learn.

“We provide a fully-furnished apartment for free for two years. But that really allows our families to not have to work, not have to pay the bills, so they can go to school and knock out as much education as they can while they’re with us,” said Tracy Weaver, the executive director of Saranam.

According to Saranam, the funding will allow them to add 13 units, a family community center, a playground and community gardens to its westside campus. That will allow them to serve around 23 families at that campus, in addition to the 20 other families who live at the other campus.

The money for this comes from the Housing Innovation Program. Housing New Mexico created the program in 2023 to address housing needs that are not currently being served through existing programs. They also created it as “an opportunity for eligible applicants to fund community tailored housing solutions.”

You can visit the Housing New Mexico website to learn more about the Housing Innovation Program.

Saranam opens applications twice a year – in the spring and in the summer. You can visit this link to learn more and sign up.