June 9, 2020
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
490 Old Santa Fe Trail #400
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Dear Governor Lujan Grisham,
Thank you for your leadership during these difficult times and the proactive measures you have
taken to save lives and keep New Mexicans safe. As you know, the economic ramifications of
the COVID-19 pandemic are threatening the financial well-being of our communities. Over
100,000 New Mexicans have filed for unemployment insurance in recent months and many
more are struggling to pay their bills. The virus will continue to create economic hardship on
New Mexicans for months and years to come. Immediate action is necessary to help New
Mexicans with housing costs to mitigate this financial devastation and prevent a dramatic rise
in homelessness.
The undersigned organizations and individuals therefore urge you to support housing relief
measures, including a fund to assist families with housing costs, a legislative moratorium on
evictions, and expanded protections for low-income homeowners in the special session. This
should be a part of a comprehensive and long-term approach to ensure New Mexico’s families
stay safely housed throughout the public health emergency and beyond.
Current legal protections only delay evictions and foreclosures, and without further relief, New
Mexicans will lose their homes. On March 24, 2020, the New Mexico Supreme Court issued an
order directing all lower courts to stay writs of restitution for eviction hearings. And on March
27, the federal Coronavirus Aid Recovery and Economic Securities (CARES) Act placed a
moratorium on foreclosure and evictions on all properties with federally backed mortgages or
which participate in a federal housing subsidy program. These temporary legal fixes only stave
off immediate foreclosures and evictions for inability to pay rent. But evictions continue to be
entered by the Courts, and New Mexico’s families will face immediate loss of their homes when
the moratoria and stay are lifted. This problem will be compounded when workers lose access
to unemployment benefits or experience a sharp drop in benefits over the next several months.
New Mexico was already struggling with a crippling housing crisis before the COVID-19
pandemic, and our communities cannot afford for this problem to get any worse. New Mexico
has the highest rate of low-income homeowners per capita than any other state in the country.
Many of these homeowners are not only low-income, they are families with school age children
and many are also elderly. With regard to renters, the most recent data from the Mortgage
Finance Authority shows that 50% of New Mexico’s renters are housing cost burdened, meaning

 they spend upwards of 30% of their income on housing costs.1 And New Mexico had the
nation’s largest percentage increase in homelessness from 2018 to 2019 – 27% - and a 57.6%
increase in chronic homelessness last year, also the highest in the nation. 2 Despite this local
rent control ordinances are illegal under New Mexico law.
Small landlords and renters depend on each other, and both need emergency assistance to stay
afloat during this time. Property rentals comprise a large, but often overlooked segment of small
businesses. Landlords and property owners will be put in an increasingly difficult position due
to the loss of rental payments. Dwindling rent collections are more likely to affect smaller
landlords, who tend to have limited financial reserves, the inability to absorb a missed month,
and less capacity to borrow. These landlords play an important role in New Mexico’s housing
market, especially for lower-income tenants as many of the homes and apartments owned by
smaller landlords carry below-market rents even for those who do not receive a subsidy.
For homeowners facing imminent foreclosure, it is imperative that they are given the opportunity
to work with a court mediator and a HUD certified housing counselor to resolve delinquencies and
close foreclosure cases pending on court dockets. The Foreclosure Settlement Program (FSP) that
currently exists in the First, Second and Thirteenth Judicial Districts has proven effective at helping
homeowners keep their homes after becoming delinquent on their mortgages but this program is
only currently available to a fraction of our state’s homeowners.
Without bold housing relief measures, tens of thousands of New Mexico’s families will be faced
with swift evictions and impending homelessness. Your actions during the special session can
help reduce the compounding effect of this crisis. We urge you to place the following measures on
the Governor’s call for the 2020 special session:
● Invest in a statewide rental assistance program that will provide monetary assistance
to our state’s hardest hit tenants and landlords;
● Enact a statewide eviction moratorium which halts evictions throughout the duration
of the public health emergency and phases out as our state begins to recover;
● Repeal antiquated legislation that illegally prohibits cities and municipalities from
enacting rent control ordinances that keep families housed and financially stable.
● Expand the Foreclosure Settlement Program that currently exists in the First, Second
and Thirteenth Judicial Districts statewide to all thirteen judicial district courts.

New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority, DRAFT 2020-2024 New Mexico Consolidated Plan
& 2020 Annual Action Plan, p. 24, available at:
http://www.housingnm.org/assets/content/Consolidated_Plan_Draft_09-27-19.pdf
2 Rick Nathanson, NM’s Rise in Homelessness Highest in the Nation, Albuquerque Journal,
2020, available at: https://www.abqjournal.com/1408348/nms-rise-in-homelessness-tops-nationhud-reports-27-increase-in-one-year.html
1

 We trust that your administration will act quickly to protect New Mexico’s families – keeping
them housed and supporting their financial wellbeing. With your continued leadership, we believe
New Mexico will come out of this pandemic stronger than ever.
If you have any questions, or wish to further discuss these matters, please contact Maria Griego at
the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty at 505-920-8768, or Tomas Rivera at Chainbreaker
Collective at 505-310-0609.
Sincerely,
New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
(NMCLP)
NMCLP is dedicated to advancing economic and
social justice through education, advocacy and
litigation. NMCLP works with low-income New
Mexicans to improve living conditions, increase
opportunities and protect the rights of people living
in poverty.
Chainbreaker Collective
Chainbreaker works to support economically and
environmentally sustainable communities for lowincome people in Northern New Mexico.
ABC Community School Partnership
Community Schools focus on the integration of
academics, health and social services, and youth,
family and community engagement, and
development, as a strategy to improve student
learning and facilitate stronger families and
healthier communities.
ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative
ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative is an alliance of
congregations seeking wholeness for our
community as we learn, serve, and advocate with
those living on the margins.
Adelante
Adelante works to improve our community especially the lives of people with disabilities and
seniors.
Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless
(AHCH)
AHCH provides caring and comprehensive health
and integrated supportive services, linking people

 experiencing homelessness to individual and
collective solutions.
Bueno Para Todos (BPT)
BPT creates rural economic development through
sustainable agriculture in the Pecos River Valley.
Casa Cerrillos Supportive Housing
Casa Cerrillos provides income-based affordable
housing, case management, substance-abuse
counseling, life-skills training, referrals, and
supplies to the local community.
Casa Q
Casa Q provides safe living through housing,
services and advocacy to build resiliency, selfdetermination and self-efficacy for every young
persons in need.
Catholic Charities (Archdiocese of Santa Fe)
Catholic Charities provides services to promote
self-sufficiency, strengthen families, fight poverty
and build community.
Crossroads for Women
The mission of Crossroads for Women is to provide
comprehensive, integrated services to empower
women emerging from incarceration to achieve
safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives in the community,
for themselves and their children.
Disability Rights New Mexico (DRNM)
DRNM is a private, non-profit organization whose
mission is to protect, promote and expand the rights
of persons with disabilities.
El Refugio, Inc.
El Refugio empowers all persons affected by
domestic and sexual violence by providing
advocacy, education and services in a safe and
supportive environment.
El Valle Women's Collaborative (EVWC)
EVWC promotes women and their families through
education, community events & collaborative
services in a safe and loving environment.

 Enlace Comunitario
Enlace Comunitario transforms lives of individuals
and their families experiencing domestic violence
by working to decrease gender inequity and
intimate partner violence in the Latino immigrant
community in Central New Mexico.
First Congregational United Church of Christ
A church that reaches out to invite and include
persons of every age, tongue, race, gender identity,
sexual orientation, and religious background.
First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque
A church that promotes the spiritual, intellectual,
and personal growth of each member.
HopeWorks
HopeWorks is the largest nonprofit organization in
New Mexico working to end homelessness among
individuals and families.
The Life Link
The Life Link is committed to improving individual
and community health through breaking cycles of
chronic homelessness, mental illness, trauma,
exploitation, and addiction.
Mental Health Association of New Mexico (MHANM)
MHANM provides mental health and crisis
intervention services and assists with social
security, general assistance and food stamp
entitlements.
Mesilla Valley Community of Hope
The mission of Mesilla Valley Community of Hope
is to promote dignity and empowerment among the
homeless population by providing shelter services,
case management, income support and permanent
housing programs in Las Cruces and Dona Ana
County, New Mexico.
mim.fm
The mission of mim.fm is to use music as the
common denominator in both social and personal
healing efforts, by working with local humanitarian
organizations to draw attention to pressing social
issues and raise revenue to help solve them.

 New Mexico Crisis and Access Line (NMCAL)
NMCAL is a statewide mental health crisis line for
anyone who resides in the State of New Mexico and
is concerned with suicidal thoughts, substance use,
grief, and other behavioral health issues.
New Mexico Inter-Faith Housing
The development, production and management of
high-quality affordable housing in stable
communities. Providing supportive services at no
cost to residents for educational purposes and
economic self-sufficiency. Participating in
government housing programs designed to provide
affordable housing.
Prosperity Works
Prosperity Works advocates across public and
private sectors to change attitudes, behaviors and
policies that reinforce systemic poverty.
The Samaritan House Inc.
The Samaritan House collaborates with public, nonprofit and interfaith agencies to provide a
continuum of care to those in crisis due to
homelessness and poverty while seeking social
transformation by identifying and addressing the
causes of poverty at the local level.
Santa Fe Community Housing Trust
The Santa Fe Community Housing Trust is a nonprofit community development organization that
assists residents of northern New Mexico to gain
access to affordable housing.
Santa Fe Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC)
SFHAC is a broad-based community coalition
dedicated to expanding the accessibility and
affordability of quality housing options in Santa Fe
through systemic change that benefits all residents.
Senior Citizens' Law Office, Inc. (SCLO)
SCLO provides critically needed advocacy and
legal representation to residents sixty years of age
and older in order to uphold their rights, maximize
their autonomy and ensure that they receive the
benefits to which they are entitled.

 St. Elizabeth Shelters & Supportive Housing
St. Elizabeth Shelter and Supportive Housing is
dedicated to assisting homeless individuals and
families by providing emergency shelter, food, case
management, and counseling, as well as supportive
housing and referrals to partnering human service
agencies.
Street Safe New Mexico
Street Safe New Mexico is an all-volunteer
nonprofit that follows a harm-reduction philosophy
by striving to reduce the harmful consequences
associated with life on the street.
Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHCNM)
SHCNM seeks to end homelessness by providing
affordable, permanent, and supportive housing to
individuals and families in New Mexico.
United South Broadway Corporation (USBC)
USBC is a non-profit community development
corporation founded in 1986 to revitalize historic
neighborhoods in Albuquerque. USBC seeks to
increase the availability of safe, decent and
affordable housing for low- and moderate income
home buyers.
Valencia Shelter Services (VSS) Child Advocacy Center
VSS provides confidential services and, most
importantly, hope to individuals and families
affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and
child abuse.
UNM School of Law
Karen J. Meyers
Private Attorney