A Community Approach to Homelessness and Housing

Millions are spent each year on temporary fixes, but real progress means investing in permanent housing and addressing the root causes of homelessness. This free educational series brings together local and national experts to share what works and how we, as a community, can be part of the solution.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PRESENTED BY: the Community Investment Alliance

SPONSORED BY: the Community Housing & Homelessness Prevention Fund and the City of Santa Fe

How homelessness has evolved and why it persists

Key Topics:Santa Fe Convention CenterWednesday, August 27, 2025 5:30-7:30pm

Speakers: Jeff Olivet (Former head of USICH), Dena Moscola (Espanola Pathways Shelter), Michele Williams (Consuelo’s Place)

Evidence-based approaches that work

Santa Fe Convention CenterWednesday, September 10, 2025 5:30-7:30pm

Speakers: Cathay Alderman (VP CO Coalition for the homeless, National Low Income Housing Coalition), Nicole Martinez (ED of Haven of Hope in Las Cruces NM)

Policy, social challenges, and community-led efforts to overcome them

Santa Fe Convention CenterFriday October 3, 2025 5:30-7:30pm

Speakers: Donald Whitehead (Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless), Sovereign Hager, (NM Center of Law and Poverty)

How poverty, racism, and disconnection contribute to homelessness, and how we build healing responses

Santa Fe Convention CenterMonday, November 3, 2025 5:30-7:30pm

Speakers: Becky Miller Updike (CO Association of Families and Children, PHD in trauma and impact of ACE Scores on longterm outcomes), Label Foundation, Dr. Van Voorhis

Info: Speakers: Jeff Olivet (Former head of USICH), Dena Moscola (Espanola Pathways Shelter), Michele Williams (Consuelo’s Place)

This foundational session examines how homelessness has evolved and why it persists — emphasizing the central role of housing insecurity and the ongoing failure to invest in real solutions.

Key Topics:

● Historical shifts that led to modern homelessness

● Economic, racial, and systemic drivers of housing instability

● The current landscape of homelessness in New Mexico and nationally

● How the housing shortage — not personal failure — fuels the crisis

Info: Speakers: Cathay Alderman (VP CO Coalition for the homeless, National Low Income Housing Coalition), Nicole Martinez (ED of Haven of Hope in Las Cruces NM) This session highlights evidence-based approaches that end homelessness — starting with housing and backed by the support people need to stay housed and thrive.

Key Topics:

● The Housing First model: evidence, outcomes, and myths

● Permanent Supportive Housing and wraparound services

● Eviction Prevention and Bridge Housing

● Aligning local, state, and federal resources (e.g., Medicaid, LIHTC, ETC.)

● Community-based strategies that prioritize access and long-term stability

Info: Speakers: Donald Whitehead (Executive Director, National Coalition for the Homeless), Sovereign Hager, (NM Center of Law and Poverty) This session explores the policy, funding, and social barriers that block housing and service solutions — and lifts up successful, community-led efforts to remove them.

Key Topics:

● Zoning, land use, and regulatory challenges in New Mexico

● Gaps in funding, staffing, and service delivery

● Policy misalignment and resistance to change

● Leadership roles in coordinated strategies

● Local case studies that show scalable, successful solutions

Info: Speakers: Becky Miller Updike (CO Association of Families and Children, PHD in trauma and impact of ACE Scores on longterm outcomes), Label Foundation, Dr. Van Voorhis This session explores how trauma — from poverty, racism, and disconnection — contributes to housing instability and homelessness, and how trauma-informed care can help create effective, healing-centered housing responses.

Key Topics:

● How trauma and systemic barriers impact housing stability

● The role of housing in healing and recovery

● What it means to be a trauma-informed, healing-centered community

● Strategies for trust-building, harm reduction, and inclusive policy

● Language, practices, and systems that foster safety and dignity