New Mexico Continues to Struggle with Housing and Homelessness Despite $524 Million Spending, Lawmakers Eye Las Cruces Model
A new state report indicates that New Mexico continues to face significant challenges with housing affordability, uneven regional growth, and increasing homelessness, despite over $524 million in recent state expenditures aimed at these issues. The Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) published the report, which found that while the state has seen a substantial increase in housing supply since 2020, state-supported developments constitute only a small portion of this growth. Furthermore, new housing units are not always built in areas with the greatest need and are often too expensive for extremely low-income residents. New Mexico's rate of new housing construction has lagged behind national trends and neighboring states like Arizona and Texas. Josh Chaffin, LFC Program Evaluator, highlighted that nearly half of all New Mexico renters are 'cost-burdened,' spending over 30% of their income on housing. In response to these ongoing issues, state lawmakers are looking to the 'Las Cruces model' as a potential so...
