Community-Oriented Response & Assistance (CORA)

When CORA Responds

The CORA team responds on scene to situations involving significant trauma, high emotional distress, or complex needs affecting victims and their communities.

CORA call types:

• Acute Trauma: A single, severe traumatic event that require as immediate intervention, such as homicides, unexpected death, shootings, suicides, aggressive assaults, unexpected residential loss due to fire or sudden catastrophic event resulting in displacement.
• Chronic Trauma: Repeated or prolonged exposure to trauma, including domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and ongoing community violence.

Immediate Support & Stabilization

CORA provides crisis de-escalation, resource navigation, and other essential stabilization services including multidisciplinary advocacy and support:

• Safety planning and crisis stabilization supports 
• Temporary emergency and transitional housing for safety
• Emergency youth housing/transitional programs
• Emergency family shelter placement
• Health system navigation
• Guidance on domestic violence order of protection
• Connection to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam
• Referrals to grief therapy and counseling
• Help with Crime Victims Reparation Commission (CVRC) applications for lost wages and funeral costs
• Violence Against Women Act compliance assistance
• Victim reunification support
• Legal system navigation
• Civil protection order assistance
• Judicial guidance and navigation
• Insurance MCO (Manage Care Organization)
• Connection to long term support services in the community
• Food boxes 
• Assistance with benefit applications:
  • Medicaid
  • SNAP/EBT
  • TANF
  • SSI and SSDI
  • LIHEAP: utility assistance

Crisis Intervention for High-Need Individuals

Through a restorative justice approach and collaboration, CORA and the Albuquerque Police Department Crisis Intervention Unit (APD CIU) aim to reduce reliance on emergency services by addressing root causes, decrease repeated law enforcement callouts and recidivism, and promote long-term stability for individuals frequently engaged with the APD CIU due to behavioral health crises. By shifting from reactive responses to proactive intervention and case management, CORA helps individuals achieve safety, stability, and self-sufficiency.

Services offered to high-need individuals also include:

• Intensive behavioral health stabilization
• Connection to long-term intensive case management
• Guardianship coordination and connections
• Connection to specialized civil court programs (when appropriate)

Promoting Community Healing and Safety

Albuquerque communities have long been dealing with tragedy and violence. The city recognizes that responding to these events should not just stop at the immediate crisis. Communities often need resources and support on how to heal. Through an outreach-based violence prevention approach, CORA responders provide immediate, trauma-informed response to individuals, families, and communities impacted by tragedy and violence.

In 2025 alone, CORA conducted 52 post-homicide outreach responses and proactively engaged more than 2,500 individuals. These proactive outreaches provide on-scene support to victims, and community members least likely to seek support promoting community healing and safety.

Need Support?

If you or someone you know could benefit from this program, we’re here to help.

Email: [email protected]

Call: 505-768-4818