Albuquerque Community Safety Outreach Leads to Housing After Eight Years Unhoused
City services help senior citizen with shelter and connection to much needed medical care.
After eight years of homelessness, an Albuquerque senior now has a safe, permanent home, made possible through the consistent, compassionate outreach of Albuquerque Community Safety’s (ACS) Street Outreach Team.
Katherine Donato, 66, originally from Idaho, spent years surviving on the streets of Albuquerque after experiencing serious medical complications. In 2010, an infection related to a pain pump used to treat chronic back pain caused a brain bleed that permanently altered her life. Though she had no history of substance use, the resulting mental health impacts and ongoing medical needs left her vulnerable and unsheltered for years. In December 2024, ACS Behavioral Health Responders encountered Katherine while she was living unhoused. At the time, she wasn’t ready to accept help.
“Sometimes you reach a point where so many people are trying to hurt you that you just don’t trust anyone,” said Katherine. “You’re a commodity out on the streets.”
Later that month, Katherine was seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle. She sustained multiple injuries, frostbite, and damage to her vocal cords that temporarily left her unable to speak.
Just days later, during a chance encounter with ACS Responders, Katherine—still unable to speak—communicated by writing down a phone number she had memorized: that of ACS Street Outreach Navigator Angela Tello, who had been attempting to connect with her since October.
“It took dozens of encounters,” said Tello. “It was all about earning her trust. There were days I saw her multiple times.”
By consistently showing up and sharing her own lived experience, Tello built a relationship rooted in trust. That relationship ultimately led to Katherine accepting support and transitioning into stable housing, along with coordinated medical care and ongoing services.
Using the same relationship-based approach, Tello thoughtfully placed Katherine with roommates who shared similar life experiences, helping create a safer, more supportive living environment. ACS also helped coordinate in-home healthcare, meal services through the City of Albuquerque Senior Affairs Department, and bi-weekly assistance with grocery trips and other needs.
“Albuquerque Community Safety is focused on meeting people where they are and staying with them until real solutions are in place,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This outcome reflects the importance of consistent, compassionate outreach and the life-changing impact it can have.”
“Without Angela, I’d still be on the streets — or dead,” said Katherine.
This success reflects ACS’s dedication to trauma-informed, relationship-driven outreach that prioritizes dignity, trust, and long-term stability for Albuquerque’s most vulnerable residents.