Homelessness Policy in the 2026 Governor’s Race: Miyagishima’s Plan Stands Apart

Alamogordo, NM — December 2025

Homelessness has become one of the most urgent challenges facing New Mexico with the struggles, seen more often than not, in the city centers of rural towns, like Alamogordo, and no longer isolated to the larger metropolitan areas. Homelessness and income inequality is now a defining issue in the 2026 governor’s race. Candidates are offering sharply different visions, but none as detailed or ambitious as the plan put forward by Ken Gallegos Miyagishima, longtime mayor of Las Cruces.

Miyagishima’s Comprehensive Approach

Miyagishima argues that New Mexico can save 10 percent of its $10.8 billion operating budget—about $1.8 billion—through service streamlining and one‑time investments. Those savings, he says, should be redirected to homelessness, crime reduction, and mental health without layoffs or cuts to essential services.

His plan breaks homelessness into four categories—job loss, lifestyle choice, addiction, and mental illness—and offers tailored responses:

• Rapid re‑housing for job‑seekers, with rent support, case management, and one‑time help for deposits or car repairs.

• Designated off‑grid living zones on state or county land, with sanitation, solar power, and legal assistance to meet safety standards.

• Low‑barrier shelters and mobile treatment units for addiction recovery, alongside harm‑reduction programs and crisis detox beds.

• Permanent supportive housing and mobile crisis teams, modeled after Las Cruces’ Project L.I.G.H.T., to stabilize those with mental illness.

Miyagishima also envisions state‑built homes sold at cost, allowing residents currently trapped in high‑rent motels or substandard housing to own modest homes with comparable monthly payments. He points to the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope in Las Cruces as a model, combining housing with a health clinic, food pantry, soup kitchen, and child‑care center.

Other Candidates’ Approaches

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, completing her second term, has already committed $120 million in housing initiatives for 2025, focusing on new construction, rental subsidies, and behavioral health expansion.

Deb Haaland, former U.S. Secretary of the Interior, emphasizes federal‑state partnerships, arguing that Washington’s resources should be leveraged to expand housing and behavioral health. She frames homelessness as part of a broader sustainability agenda.

Sam Bregman, the Second Judicial District Attorney, ties homelessness to justice reform, advocating for diversion programs and treatment centers as alternatives to incarceration.

Republican Silence

By contrast, Republican candidates Gregg Hull and Steve Lanier in the 2026 race have not released comprehensive homelessness proposals. Their platforms have centered on tax relief, crime reduction, and economic growth, but homelessness has been addressed only indirectly, if at all

For rural counties like Otero, where infrastructure is minimal and needs are urgent, this silence leaves a gap in understanding how Republican leadership would respond to the crisis.

Rural Impact: Alamogordo and Otero County

For small communities like Alamogordo, the stakes are high. The 2025 Otero County Point‑in‑Time Count found no permanent supportive housing units, no transitional housing, and only one emergency shelter. Even modest increases in homelessness place disproportionate strain on schools, law enforcement, and health providers.

• Miyagishima’s plan could deliver immediate relief in Otero County. Rapid re‑housing would help families facing sudden job loss, while off‑grid zones could formalize existing encampments in forests or desert areas, reducing public health risks. Mobile crisis teams would ease the burden on local police, who often serve as first responders in mental health crises.

• Lujan Grisham’s plan may bring new construction, but rural areas often see slower rollout compared to Albuquerque or Santa Fe.

• Haaland’s plan could bring federal resources, especially to tribal and rural lands, but implementation would likely take years.

• Bregman’s plan might reduce strain on Otero County’s courts and jail system, but without new housing units, long‑term stabilization would remain elusive.

• Republican silence leaves rural communities uncertain about whether their needs would be prioritized at all.

Conclusion

As the 2026 race unfolds, Miyagishima’s homelessness plan stands out not only for its depth but also for its relevance to rural communities such as Alamogordo and Otero County. . With Republican candidates yet to release comprehensive proposals, the debate is increasingly framed around whether New Mexico should pursue Miyagishima’s budget reallocation and tailored solutions, Lujan Grisham’s construction‑driven model, Haaland’s federal partnerships, or Bregman’s justice reform lens

For Alamogordo and Otero County, where infrastructure is scarce and strain is acute, visibility of the challenge is increasing with citizens becoming more uneasy with seeing an increase in homelessness, Miyagishima’s plan offers the clearest roadmap for immediate relief.

Sources:

• Ken Miyagishima Campaign Draft – Homelessness Policy Proposal

• New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness – Funding Models and Policy Recommendations

• Office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham – 2025 Housing Initiative Announcement

• Source New Mexico – Profiles of Declared 2026 Governor Candidates

• Las Cruces Project L.I.G.H.T. – Mobile Crisis Response Program

• 2025 Otero County Point‑in‑Time Count

2nd Life Media Alamogordo Town News IPRA requests and analysis 

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