By Santiago Anaya / NM News Port
The City of Albuquerque is looking to change the voucher system it uses to provide motel rooms for the unhoused.
A new Hospitality Revitalization Working Group look at several issues related to motels, including reimagining the voucher program, discussion options for cracking down on problem motels and helping motel owners keep their properties safer.
“The ordinance engages almost every City Department to work together with both industry leaders and community members with lived experience,” said City Counselor Nichole Rogers, D-6.
The City Council voted unanimously Feb. 5 to establish the 11-member working group, which is to include people from the hospitality industry and people with experience with the motel voucher program, in addition to representatives from five city departments and City Council staff.
“This Working Group’s report will bring together many perspectives and share information on the issues surrounding blighted motels,” Grout said in a release.
The resolution requires the working group to look at issues such as enforcement methods that address problems with problem motels, options for programs to aid motel operators, and to best serve individuals and families seeking a hotel room for a night or short extended stay.
“The goal is to implement real solutions that will help those experiencing trauma while stimulating the hospitality business sector,” Grout said.
The working group is set to meet within a month and will continue to meet bi-weekly for six months, then report back to the Council and mayor.
