ALBUQUERQUE – City officials are planning to buy a former Albuquerque hospital and turn it into a homeless shelter and services hub.
Mayor Tim Keller said Tuesday that the city is working to purchase the former Lovelace hospital although the price wasn’t immediately disclosed.
Keller told the Albuquerque Journal that the property would provide emergency shelter beds, an around-the-clock dropoff site for first responders and a home for on-site medical and behavioral health services.
New Mexico currently is leasing 360,000 square feet of the facility as a COVID-19 emergency hospital and Keller says the city’s purchase would not disrupt that.
The building has some other existing tenants, which Keller said brings ongoing lease revenue.
Albuquerque currently is providing emergency shelter for about 630 people.
