Welcome

Welcome to the CARE 66 blog. We are a small non profit whose mission is to create opportunities to end homelessness. We do this by providing support services and a variety of housing opportunities to our clients ranging from transitional housing to permanent housing with support services.

Monday, March 30, 2009

CARE 66 Salsa in Albertsons



As of March 31, 2009, Albertsons in Gallup will be carrying our Mother Road Salsa. Please make sure to go and buy it there.

Mother Road Salsa is also available from the Makeshift Gallery and La Montanita Coop on Coal Street in downtown Gallup.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

CARE 66 Purchases the Liberty Hotel

Safe haven for vets
Old Carl’s TV building in downtown Gallup sold to CARE 66

Carl's TV

Tim Kelly of Care 66 locks the front door to the old Carl's TV building on Monday. Care 66 recently purchased the building and is planning to turn it into a veterans transitional housing facility. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent

By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff writer

GALLUP — It is a classic building, built by a Gallup builder around 1928, using Gallup bricks.

But like many old buildings, it has seen better days. It was originally constructed as the Liberty Hotel, then it was Carl’s TV.

Now it has been purchased by CARE 66, to be used for homeless veterans’ transitional housing.

“We bought it for less than the appraised value,” CARE 66 Executive Director Sanjay Choudhrie said in an interview Monday, and he explained the money came from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The renovation money will mostly come from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, he said, and imagines the renovation costs to be somewhere between $2 million and $2.5 million to house about 15 vets.

The decaying structure will be fully rehabilitated for the purpose of providing supportive housing to area homeless veterans, male or female.

“That’s awesome,” said Vietnam vet Dave Cuellar. “President Obama was just talking last night about how homeless veterans are a national problem. I know most of these homeless people around here are veterans. I see them walk around and I just know there are vets and many of them are Natives. Our group that meets every other Friday at Don Diego’s used to take up a collection to help the down and out vets. It wasn’t that we wanted to do because it’s out of our pocket but somebody has to help them. This is great.”

Cassandra Morgan, a former Marine, and vice president of the Collegiate Veterans Association at UNM-Gallup said it was good people were thinking about women vets also. “But a lot of these women vets have dependents. They’re single moms. Would dependents be allowed to stay there? A lot of these ladies won’t utilize this because dependents won’t be included. But it is great.”

CARE 66 just closed on the building with former owner Steve Garcia and also just closed on the deal in buying the downtown Lexington Hotel at 408 West Highway 66. In addition, the organization houses about 16 people in the Frances House on Boyd Avenue in Gallup.

The old Carl’s TV building at 108 S. Strong needs some serious renovation. It is a two-story building, and the second story caught fire about 10 years ago, charring many of the main roof supports. The floor and walls have some fire damage, but the building looks sound. Because it is an old building, the group must consult with the state Historic Preservation Office and make sure the facade and windows help preserve the historic architecture.

“Historical preservation puts a lot of regulatory burden attached to grants,” Tim Kelley, Chief Operating Officer of CARE 66 said. “I’m not complaining. It’s challenging.”

The plans include renovation of the 13 rooms upstairs, a kitchenette, lounge area, common bathrooms, a lounge in the front. The organization is in the process of selecting an architect for the project and is scheduling construction to begin in September-October of this year.

“We will get contractors who do this work and ask them to give our clients a shot. If they don’t work out, that’s OK,” Choudhrie said. “But we haven’t gotten to that stage yet.”

Friday, March 13, 2009

Closing on the Lexington

John and Pat Rosendall the former owners of the Lexington Hotel watch as documents are signed. John and Pat renovated the Lexington, which was a dump, when they first acquired it. It has been a labor of love for them and we hope to continue their good work. We thank them for investing their sweat, blood and tears. Thank you Pat and John.



Joseph Esparza and Jane Ann Polich sign closing documents on the Lexington Hotel on March 13 with Veronica Williams. CARE 66 now has the capacity to provide low income housing to 27 individuals. After renovations, estimated at $635,000 we will be able to provide transitional housing to homeless men and women including veterans. Renovations will increase capacity by about 25.


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Monday, March 2, 2009

CARE 66 is Requesting Qualifications from Architects

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ)

The Liberty project Phases 1 and 2 (the “Project”)

Date Advertised: February 25, 2009


http://www.care66.org/ArchitectRFQ.asp

(You can download a printable pdf file by following the link above)

Community Area Resource Enterprise, Inc. (CARE 66), as developer, owner, and property manager are pursuing projects on parcels located at 108Strong Drive and the Northeast corner of Puerco Drive and Coal Avenue in Gallup, New Mexico for a two-phase development project. The first phase is the rehabilitation of an abandoned hotel into Dorm and SRO rental housing to serve formerly homeless veterans. The second phase is the development of new construction of multifamily housing to serve low income individuals and families that will include ground floor commercial office space. CARE 66 is requesting Statements of Qualifications from qualified Architects to provide full architectural services for the Project. For the purposes of this RFQ assume the following time frames.

Phase I: Design and Construction period of 12 months

Phase 2: Design and Construction period of 24 months