Is homelessness an issue in Corrales?

Published March 21st, 2025 at 2:57 pm

By Jesse Jones

Homelessness isn’t just an Albuquerque issue — it sometimes reaches Corrales too.

Corrales resident Audrey Trujillo, a former candidate for State Senate and Secretary of State, has a neighbor in her 70s who lived alone. The woman noticed a strange smell near her home, but even her grandkids avoided visiting because of it. They discovered a homeless encampment in the arroyo behind her house eight months later.

Despite this, officials don’t see homelessness as a major issue in Corrales.

Corrales Deputy Fire Chief Tonya Lattin said the police department is usually the first point of contact for reports of homeless individuals. She said the fire department has encountered a few camps in the Bosque over the years, but they aren’t common. If fires are found, the fire department responds, but most camps don’t seem dangerous.

“We get maybe two or three camps per year in our Bosque that are reported to us,” she said.

Corrales Police Chief Vic Mangiacapra said officers typically find unhoused individuals in the Bosque, where camping is prohibited, or on private property when owners request removal. Officers offer rides to shelters or relatives, but most people decline help.

“Our encounters with homeless subjects occur primarily on the South end of the Village and seem to be more prevalent over the past five years than prior to that time. However, they continue to be intermittent,” Mangiacapra said.

However, an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach mentality persists in some parts of Sandoval County. 

“Everybody wants to help the homeless population, but it’s a ‘not in my backyard’ type of deal. We want to help, but not here, do it over there,” Sandoval County Commissioner Joshua Jones said. “If you’re saying that and the people over there saying that, then they’re not getting help.”

The county has programs to get people into long-term housing.

According to the Sandoval County website, its Permanent Supportive Housing program helps people “thrive, not merely survive, to achieve greater self-sufficiency, and to claim their places as positive, engaged members of the communities in which they live.” 

According to local sources, it offers U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded rental assistance, plus optional case management and support for chronically disabled individuals and their families who meet the definition of chronic homelessness.

Despite challenges, some organizations are tackling homelessness in Sandoval County.

St. Felix Food Pantry, a Rio Rancho nonprofit, provides food, clothing and referrals for families and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The City of Rio Rancho supports the pantry through Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, which help low-income households with utility and rent or mortgage assistance. 

Commissioner Jones has discussed securing behavioral health funding for at-risk populations with Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury’s office.

Sandoval County Commissioners Kathrine Bruch and Jordan Juarez said the county has been working to address mental health and substance abuse, recognizing their connection to homelessness.

“I believe that we as a county and a state need work on addressing behavioral health and substance abuse, which are, in my opinion, the root cause of our homelessness issues,” Juarez said.