On May 5, the Albuquerque City Council approved a resolution — sponsored by City Councilors Nichole L. Rogers, Tammy Fiebelkorn, Dan Champine and Renée Grout — which appropriates $4,589,736 in opioid settlement funds. The funding will support, expand and enhance the city’s comprehensive services for individuals in Albuquerque experiencing substance-use disorder.
Last month, these councilors cosponsored a resolution that created the city’s implementation plan for the opioid settlement funds and allocated funds to nonprofits, local treatment providers and APS’ Crossroads program. With the appropriation passed this week, the majority of the current funds have been allocated to help the community with both prevention and treatment.
“This appropriation, in addition to the allocations approved last month, sets up a wide-ranging system of prevention and treatment options for the citizens of Albuquerque via city services, nonprofits, local treatment providers and APS,” stated Fiebelkorn. “This is what the citizens of Albuquerque asked for during the public input process, and I’m proud that my cosponsors and I were able to deliver.”
The approved funding will be allocated to:
- Leveraging the Sobering Center at the Gateway: This initiative will expand medical support, harm reduction, inpatient treatment and overdose prevention services. Funding will support the First Responder Receiving Area, Medical Sobering Center, and Micro Community Recovery Housing.
- Recovery Housing: Recognizing the critical link between housing stability and long-term recovery, this investment will provide stable housing options, particularly for individuals transitioning from incarceration or unstable environments.
“The Council’s approval gives the city’s Gateway Center the ability to immediately assess substance use disorders and provide the necessary treatment for those in need,” Rogers said. “The funding for recovery housing is indispensable in successful addiction recovery.”
The city’s Gateway system, once fully operational, is projected to handle more than 26,000 patient encounters per year, offering low-barrier, trauma-informed services that connect individuals to long-term recovery support.
The Chamber has been a strong supporter of a 24/7 homeless shelter providing centralized services for years, and the model for the Gateway came from the Chamber’s benchmarking trip with Mayor Tim Keller and other city officials to Haven for Hope in San Antonio. Haven for Hope reduced the number of unsheltered homeless on the streets in downtown San Antonio by 80% in two years.