Resident Stories

For the majority of people, homelessness is a temporary condition. A 2007 New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness report states:

 "The provision of emergency shelter and supportive services make it easier for people to transition back into housing. When people are stable in housing, they experience greater safety, increased independence, higher self-esteem, improved physical and mental health, better ability to access and maintain employment and increased ability to contribute to the community. Each man who seeks shelter at Albuquerque Opportunity Center has a rich, unique history and unique plans for the future. The AOC goal is to meet each resident with dignity and respect, to provide respite from the harsh conditions of the streets, and to help residents access the resources they need to permanently exit homelessness."

Here are a few of the ways the AOC has helped.

Michael, 32, whose 7 years of military service left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, became homeless 2 months ago. His construction job fell through and the bills piled up. "I was caught in a situation where I suddenly didn't know what to do," he says. A friend led him to AOC. "For myself, I had ignored homelessness," he says. "Since I've been here, I've realized that a lot of these people have done well in their lives and, all of a sudden, something just happened, just like me. We become homeless, and we need help."

Stuart was 32 years old when he arrived at AOC. He had been discharged from prison to a half-way house with $20.00 and no means of paying for his meals and lodging. With nowhere to go, without any means of paying for shelter, he faced having to sleep on the streets. Instead, a counselor referred him to Albuquerque Opportunity Center. When he arrived, he set a goal of moving into an apartment. With a safe place to sleep, access to a shower and clean clothes, Stuart was able to concentrate on getting a job and showing up at the job on time, well rested and ready to go to work. In early December, Stuart obtained a job as a roofer paying $15 hour and AOC helped him to pay a security deposit to move into housing.

In early January, paramedics took Charlton, a 68 year-old man with emphysema who had been homeless off and on for a decade, to the hospital after the AOC staff could not wake him for the morning van run. A few days later Charlton’s daughter called to report that he had died. She expressed her appreciation for AOC and reported that she drew strength and comfort in knowing that her father passed his last days in the company of people who were kind, caring, and friendly and that he did not die alone and unnoticed in the streets.

Last summer, Harold became homeless after an injury and hospitalization caused him to lose his job. Without an income, he could not pay his rent and was evicted in October. It was raining, windy and cold his first night on the streets and the downtown shelters were full. Harold walked the streets with his clothes soaked through until he found shelter under an awning in front of a local business. A security guard found him and allowed him to stay in the company’s boiler room. Harold came to AOC the following day. He became sick and it took him three weeks to recover his health. When he was better, he worked day labor jobs, then the AOC staff referred Harold to the Goodwill job development program, which helped him get a permanent job that paid well enough for him to return to housing.

Hector became homeless after a series of difficult changes in his life: his brother passed away, his business closed, and his wife asked for a divorce. Feeling hopeless and despairing, he took off to California. Once there, he realized that leaving did not provide the answer that he was looking for. He returned to Albuquerque and immediately went to work through day labor agencies. After he paid for lodging in a cheap motel, two meals a day, and a pack of cigarettes he had $2 in his pocket. One day of missed labor meant no place to stay. Once he came to AOC, he was able to save money for renting an apartment. The AOC staff referred him to a nearby business for a temporary job that turned into a full-time permanent position with benefits. Soon afterwards Hector exited into an efficiency apartment. In his exit interview Hector reported that “the AOC works, it really makes a difference to men who are trying to change their lives.”