New Mexico commits $7.8M to help students facing housing instability

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico allocated $7.8 million to help families in seven school districts pay for housing, utilities, car repairs and other emergencies.

The Family Stabilization program will continue in the Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe school districts. It’ll also expand to four San Juan County districts, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

Last year, they used $4.85 million in funding to serve 487 families and 1,240 students in the three pilot districts. Albuquerque Public Schools was allocated $2,600,000 in fiscal year 2026 and will get $3,100,000 in fiscal year 2027.

Las Cruces Public Schools was allocated $1,400,000 in FY26 and $2,000,000 in FY27. Santa Fe Public Schools was allocated $850,000 in FY26 and $500,000 in FY27.

Now, the program is expanding to Farmington Municipal Schools, Aztec Municipal Schools, Bloomfield School District and Central Consolidated School District.

Students experiencing housing instability make up 8% of the student population in San Juan County – compared to nearly 4% of the population in Albuquerque Public Schools – according to state data. That prompted the expansion of the program.

“When families don’t have stable housing, one of the first impacts we see is in the children’s performance at school,” said Sarita Nair, NMDWS Cabinet Secretary. “By partnering with school districts, we can connect families to resources where they already have trusted relationships and help address housing challenges before they become even more difficult.”

Farmington Municipal Schools will get $750,000 in FY27 and Central Consolidated School District will get $750,000 in FY27. Bloomfield School District will get $400,000 in FY27 and Aztec Municipal Schools will get $300,000 in FY27.

The state government will keep working with communities and partners on housing support that helps students stay in school.

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