91°µÍø

Federal funds for New Mexico’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program are slated to run out this August. Winter Torres is the director of the New Mexico Eviction Prevention and Diversion Program, which helped get the money out across most of the state and is wrapping up this week. Torres told 91°µÍø she sees New Mexico slipping back to pre-pandemic levels of eviction with fewer resources to keep people housed.

New Mexico’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which is backed by federal pandemic relief funds, is winding down and slated to end this summer. Those who work with it say the program allowed for rare and welcome flexibility. But now that it’s ending, they’re bracing for a wave of evictions.

New Mexico legislators advanced a pillar of the governor's tough-on-crime agenda Friday with House approval of a bill that increases penalties for some murder and attempted-murder charges and eliminates the statute of limitations for filing those charges.

After reviewing eviction diversion programs from other states like Illinois and Florida, the New Mexico Supreme Court last week announced its own, soon bringing an end to the state’s moratorium on evictions after 2 years. The state will transition to the new Eviction Prevention and Diversion Program – first with a pilot program in Eastern New Mexico starting February 1st, then the rest of the state will follow in March. Maria Griego from the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty told 91°µÍø how it will work.