Cristina Parajón, a New Mexico State Representative and first-year law student, has been instrumental in the development of the Gateway Center in Albuquerque. The center, operational since 2023, functions as a comprehensive hub for individuals facing homelessness and substance abuse issues. It integrates tenant organizations that provide essential services such as medical and behavioral health care, social services, overnight accommodations, and housing assistance. In late 2024, the facility expanded its capabilities with the launch of the Medical Sobering Center and Medical Respite to better meet the needs of vulnerable populations.

The new Medical Sobering Center offers a medically-supervised environment for intoxicated individuals to receive care until sobriety is achieved. Operating around the clock, it can accommodate up to 50 people and serves as a gateway to long-term substance abuse treatment. Meanwhile, the Medical Respite provides medical care and social services for homeless individuals who are too ill to recover on the streets but do not require hospitalization. Patients can stay at this facility for up to 60 days while transitioning into supportive housing.

Representative Parajón previously served as the Gateway Center Administrator. In that role, she was key in designing a trauma-informed and medically-supported environment by collaborating extensively with community members experiencing homelessness. Now serving House District 25 as State Representative, she is advocating for increased funding and legislative backing to expand resources like the Gateway Center throughout New Mexico.

Parajón acknowledges the collective effort involved in realizing the Gateway Center: “Hundreds of hands have played a role in forming what the Gateway Center is today – from Healthcare for the Homeless, to Heading Home, to the Mayor and our City Council, the construction workers who sacrificed and worked overtime to get the building up and running, and the City workers who did their jobs with integrity and passion, serving our most vulnerable people. During this legislative session, I will continue advocating for housing and dignified, quality treatment services.”