When the Covid 19 pandemic struck in March of 2020, it created a challenge for the unhoused who tested positive for Covid and needed to be quarantined. With limited space for quarantine, shelters were required to disburse a portion of their clientele. The NM Department of Health collaborated with the City of Santa Fe to create a location to shelter those who were unhoused in a social distancing appropriate setting.

The College of Santa Fe/University of Art and Design campus, here at 1600 St. Michael’s Dr. is owned by the City of Santa Fe. St. Michael’s Hall was closed and the doors were locked for some time until March of 2020. The building was assessed for viable use and re-opened, with the remaining college style furniture in the dormitory building put to good use again.

Initially, the shelter was called “Midtown Emergency Shelter” and was only anticipated to keep its doors open for the duration of the pandemic. As the pandemic wore on over several years, the homeless epidemic expanded and funding became more supported for operations. As this evolved, Midtown Shelter became “Consuelo’s Place,” in honor of a relative of a city employee. The color yellow was selected in honor of Consuelo’s favorite color.

Today, we have developed a Mission Statement to reflect our current operations:

Consuelo’s Place provides non-congregate shelter for vulnerable individuals and families who are transitioning into permanent housing or whose unique circumstances make it difficult to succeed in a congregate setting; and provides life-stabilizing services for those individuals.