Facing a growing unhoused population, those who run the facility are turning to state lawmakers for help staying afloat.
ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s the first, and only, homeless shelter in Española; and it only has three people on staff. Facing a growing unhoused population, those who run the facility are turning to state lawmakers for help staying afloat.
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“Espanola Pathways Shelter is in a state of emergency because the services that we’re providing do not even come close to filling the need that’s here,” said Dena Moscola, CEO and executive director of Española Pathways Shelter.
To get to the Española Pathways Shelter, you first have to drive past rows of tents full of people staying nearby to access the services the facility offers. “It’s between 50 and 60 people. I think our client base is around 130 or so,” said Jacob Stockwell, operations director for the Española Pathways Shelter. Meanwhile, they have a staff of just three.
“We have services that outweigh our budget; and we need to expand, you know, maybe times four of what we are right now in order to meet the needs of everybody,” Moscola said. Right now, they are only open during the week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. When the colder months set in, they’ll open the overnight shelter which fits 20.
“Around here, you know, there’s a lot that we wish we could provide to people, but you know as is the case in this kind of work it’s underfunded, understaffed, and in the past few years, overworked,” said Dylan Schwaegel, client liaison for the Española Pathways Shelter.
To bridge the gap, Moscola is looking to state lawmakers: they are hoping to secure funding for a short-term goal of a three-pronged approach to expand services. That approach includes opening seven nights a week, 365 days a year; opening a warming center for those who aren’t eligible to stay the night due to substance use; and installing pallet homes to help people out of their tents.
“Without more funding, the problem is only going to increase,” Moscola said.
“We have a growing need and I don’t think Española should be forgotten about,” Stockwell said, “I think most people think that the unhoused came from somewhere else. It’s not. I work with these people every day. I know them, I know their stories. They’re all from here. They have families here.”
The shelter says it takes about $60,000-$70,000 every month to keep the lights on. They’re hoping to get $1.3 million from the state to accomplish these short-term goals to serve the unhoused in Española.
The shelter also has a GoFundMe to raise money for the shelter.