BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Many people have never been to a homeless shelter and some of them wonder what shelters are like inside. In early 2019, the Los Alamos Reporter began attending meetings in the Mayor’s Conference Room at the Espanola Public Library where a large group of people from diverse backgrounds were working on the goal of establishing a 20-bed low barrier homeless shelter in Espanola for men and women ages 18 and older. Since, then she and her husband, Mike have gathered and hauled truck loads of donations to the shelter. When the shelter first opened as a warming center, the Los Alamos Reporter volunteered overnight with others to allow people to come in off the street on bitterly cold nights. When EPS opened transitional housing at Pathways Village, she gathered and supplied clothing, bedding, food and more in the Los Alamos Community for the transitional living area.
It was there that she met Glenn Weber, now a Case Manager/Certified Peer Support Worker at Consuelo’s Emergency Homeless Shelter at 1600 St. Michael’s Drive in Santa Fe. Consuelo’s is Santa Fe’s largest non-congregate shelter, offering 60 private and wraparound support services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Weber says last year, Consuelo’s Place served more than 200 clients, 69 of whom were children. Thirty percent of the clients are over the age of 55 and 67 percent identify as female heads of household.
We’re quickly becoming a model for how programs like ours can truly make an impact, and our successes are a testament to that,” Weber said.
Consuelo’s Place uses a trauma-informed, harm-reduction approach, to support clients facing poverty, substance use, disability, and trauma, including veterans, seniors, LGBTQI+ individuals, and survivors of violence, he said.
“W have a housing placement rate of 57 percent, Consuelo’s Place remains a vital lifeline for our
community,” Weber said
Consuelo’s Place will host an Open House on Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m., inviting the community to learn more about its mission and the individuals it serves.
The event offers a behind-the-scenes look at daily operations and the supportive environment
created to help individuals work their way out of homelessness.
In conjunction with the Open House, a fundraiser and garage sale will be held to raise funds
and awareness. Community members are encouraged to show their support through in-kind or
monetary donations, helping to further the organization’s mission
For more information, go to https://interfaithsheltersf.org/consuelosplace/