To the editor

Delivering hope

In the Road Less Traveled of 13 April 2026, it was suggested that someone should research The Dolores Project in Denver and Boulder Bridge House in Boulder that offer solutions to homelessness in Colorado and consider them as models for southern New Mexico. So we did.

What we found is that both programs offer a continuum of services that help people move from homelessness to stable housing, including basics needs such

as sanitation, laundry, and food, temporary housing, on-site focused case management, employment opportunities, housing navigation, behavioral healthcare, and a strict contract of rules for housing, just like the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope does in Las Cruces. In addition to wrap-around services available through the MVCH, food, healthcare, and childcare are provided by the other organizations on the MVCH campus: El Caldito

soup kitchen, Amador Health Center, Casa de Peregrinos food bank, and Jardin de los Ninos day care center.

The list of recognitions for the MVCH Hope is lengthy. The New York Times featured the establishment of Camp Hope, the MVCH tent city in 2015. In 2017, the NMSU Department of Public Health Science recognized the MVCH as a Public Health Hero. In 2022, the National League of Cities featured the MVCH Hope in their report “An Overview of Homeless Encampments,” citing three main factors that contributes to its success: 1) partnerships with service providers, 2) strategic location and co-location of services, and 3) self-governance.

Through our research, we conclude that access to a continuum of programs and affordable housing are the keys to moving into permanent housing. In 2025, the MVCH housed 2,869 people, including 1,004 children. To us, it looks like these programs are working.

Sincerely,

Mildred Evaskovich

Nancy J. McMillan

Supporters of the Community of Hope