The historic Tewa Lodge motel in Albuquerque has been reopened and is now a site for those recovering from addiction and homelessness, thanks to the help of a nonprofit organization.
KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reports that the Unconditional Love Foundation reopened the Route 66 motel after addressing problems with code violations and crime.
In the program, residents at the Tewa Lodge spend Monday through Friday in clinical treatment and counseling through Harmony Horizons. Unconditional Love provides transportation, housing, meals, clothing, and grooming services for residents as they focus on recovery. “Every one of these people were on the streets last year, cold, now they all got brand new clothes, brand new shoes, brand new haircuts. They take showers every day. They eat every day. They have goals they are trying to set,’ said Arredondo.
This gives many a new way forward. “This is kind of more like a family than anything else, you know, we’ve all gotten really close together. If I can do it, anyone else can do it,” said Leslie Felts-Zamora, program resident.
On Christmas, residents received gifts of clothes, kitchen appliances and shoes.
Last November, the city closed the crime-ridden motel, and the besieged 81-year-old owner said at the time he would consider a buyout offer.
According to Route 66 Times, the Tewa Lodge opened in 1946 with 24 units. Rooms still were offered for just $6 a night in 1959.
The Tewa Lodge was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
(Image of the Tewa Lodge in Albuquerque in 2010 by John Phelan via Wikimedia)