Heading Home

* Leading a community-wide initiative on housing and homelessness issues

* Making homelessness rare, short-lived and nonrecurring

Prioritized Outreach Services Targeted to Housing Outcomes

The ABQSC program provides intensive navigation and wrap-around supportive services to the top 30 highest utilizers of emergency services in the Albuquerque area. The supportive services, which are all aimed towards a successful housing outcome, are provided by an ABQSC team comprised of two street navigators, a clinical outreach director, Albuquerque police officers and the ABQSC program director. The team provides:

Intensive navigation through services and housing
Individually identified services
SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery


Emergency Housing

Heading Home operates two shelter sites in Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Opportunity Center and the Westside Emergency Housing Center, with a combined capacity of over 450 individuals . Our emergency housing services offer a low-barrier for entry, safe space for people experiencing homelessness to rest, recover, and begin the transition into housing.

Permanent Supportive Housing

Heading Home's permanent supportive housing programs continue to offer case-management services and rent assistance to vulnerable individuals and families, and has housed 1200 individuals since its formation.

ABQ StreetConnect:
ABQ StreetConnect (ABQSC) is an outreach collaborative focused on people experiencing homelessness who have the highest records of utilization of emergency services and care. The aim is to establish ongoing relationships that result in permanent supportive housing for these people, many of whom suffer from severe behavioral health issues.

Families Heading Home:
Families Heading home provides supportive housing and case management services for families experiencing homelessness.

Albuquerque Opportunity Center (AOC):
Albuquerque Opportunity Center is a services campus that co-locates two programs: An Emergency Housing and Respite Care Program. Shared by the two programs on campus are an outdoor garden, computer lab, storage area, showers, laundry facilities, medical examination rooms, a library and a classroom area.


AOC Men’s Overnight Emergency Shelter:
The AOC Men’s Overnight Emergency Shelter has 71 beds that provide a safe environment for sleeping and daytime storage of belongings for up to 30 nights. The AOC shelter has connected men experiencing homelessness to housing and resources since 2004 and annually services more than 600 unduplicated individuals. The Shelter is co-located at the AOC campus, with access to an outdoor garden, computer lab, storage area, showers, laundry facilities, medical examination rooms, a library and a classroom area.

Westside Emergency Housing Center:
The Westside Emergency Housing Center offers a safe and welcoming environment to men, women and families experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque. We encourage those in need to utilize this valuable community resource.

Heading Home programs have collectively transitioned more than 3,000 individuals and their family members into housing since 2011
Heading Home has saved more than $6 Million in taxpayer dollars since 2011
Every year the Albuquerque Opportunity Center Campus serves more than 23,000 meals
Heading Home volunteers have given more than $70,000 worth of time over the past year

In the future Heading Home will continue to provide assistance to the people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque through Prioritized Outreach, Emergency Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing. We work to make our vision reality, where experiences of homelessness are rare, short-lived, and nonrecurring.