Melanie Stansbury

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury held a news conference Wednesday to highlight programs she helped secure federal funding for through the Community Project Funding program.

In total, she announced she had helped secure $7.6 million for affordable housing programs supporting seniors, families, veterans and young people experiencing homelessness.

“Today is really about talking about affordable housing and the housing crisis in New Mexico and here in Albuquerque … and all of the things that we are doing at the congressional, state, city and nonprofit level to tackle the affordable housing crisis,” the New Mexico Democrat said.

The majority of the funding, $4.5 million, went to the city of Albuquerque for a homeless youth center. Other beneficiaries include $850,000 for the city to provide a senior stability shelter, $300,000 for the Veterans Integration Center and $994,950 to Saranam, an Albuquerque nonprofit that works to end family homelessness.

“We get to show what Community Project Funding actually looks like when it reaches the people it was intended to serve. It looks like homes. It looks like classrooms. It looks like children heading off to school from a safe and stable place every morning,” said Tracy Weaver, executive director of Saranam.

Stansbury also celebrated the enactment of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The act is intended to boost affordable housing construction, expand access to capital, streamline construction regulations and restrict private equity and institutional investors from buying family homes. The bipartisan bill became law on July 11.

“For those of you in the media that may be wondering, like how did we pass a major housing bill, but it didn't really register? It's partly because in the midst of all of the high drama of what was happening in Congress, the president did not want to sign this bill into law, and so the House put a provision in the bill that allowed it to take effect without the president's signature,” Stansbury said.

She also touched on the rising cost of living.

“Housing is a human right. Every person in our communities deserves a safe, affordable place they can call home,” Stansbury said. “With the rising cost of living — from groceries, gas and rent — it is imperative we put in the work to ensure our families, young people, seniors, and veterans get the support they need when experiencing a housing crisis.”