Responding to a Growing Housing Crisis

Community Housing & Homelessness Prevention Fund

Every person deserves a safe, stable place to call home. Yet across northern New Mexico, that reality feels increasingly out of reach. Over the past several years, rents in New Mexico have risen more than twice as fast as the national average, and the typical home now costs over $300,000 — up 70% since 2017. Here in Santa Fe, prices have climbed even higher, nearly doubling since 2018. At the same time, the number of people experiencing homelessness in our state has increased by 87%, with far too many individuals living without shelter for extended periods.

A central challenge is clear: there are not enough homes to meet demand. Research from The Pew Charitable Trusts highlights how restrictive zoning, lengthy permitting processes, and limited housing production have constrained supply across New Mexico, contributing to rising costs and limited availability. Read the full Pew Research analysis here.

The Community Housing & Homelessness Prevention Fund (CHHP) was established in 2021 to meet this challenge head-on. Held at the Santa Fe Community Foundation and managed in partnership with the Anchorum Health Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Thornburg Foundation, CHHP is a collaborative philanthropic effort to reduce homelessness and expand affordable and transitional housing in Santa Fe County.

Since 2022, the fund has invested $903,000 in grants and research, supporting urgent needs like shelter operations, advancing long-term solutions such as permanent supportive housing, and funding studies that inform smarter, more coordinated planning.

In 2025, CHHP supported a feasibility study for a permanent supportive housing project in Santa Fe County. The study’s recommendations were well received, and the project — planned for 40 units and prioritizing individuals including seniors and veterans — is now moving forward with the County.

"This is the kind of investment that strengthens the full housing continuum," says Christopher Goett, President & CEO of the Santa Fe Community Foundation. "Meeting immediate needs is essential, but we must also look upstream and address the deeper conditions that keep stable housing out of reach for so many."

While CHHP focuses on Santa Fe County, its impact extends beyond, supporting education for community and elected leaders and advancing nonpartisan policy solutions that benefit communities across New Mexico.

Housing stability requires sustained commitment. If you’d like to be part of this effort, we invite you to make a gift to the Community Housing & Homelessness Prevention Fund today.

Donate now