The vast majority are New Mexico residents. They comprise the most obvious segment of the homeless to the general public. Families are the fastest growing sub-group of homeless people in Albuquerque, following the larger national trend. We created a lot of jobs, but a lot of low-paying jobs. Thus, Albuquerque's homeless also represent the working poor.
Homelessness can happen to anyone for many reasons.
Gambling debts are all reasons why people are homeless in Albuquerque. We want to increase the interaction between the TVI and UNM campus communities and the local homeless service providers. We also want to see more use of campus resources to help solve the issues of street poverty. Giving money to panhandlers is controversial. HAAG does not see this as a useful approach to solving homelessness because panhandled money is often used to buy nicotine, alcohol, or street drugs.