Five families and twenty-four individuals are out of the cold and off the streets thanks to CARES Act money distributed through the City of Santa Fe to The Life Link Outreach Team. The funds are providing temporary housing at 30 hotel rooms at The Coyote South Hotel through 12/30/20. The Coyote South Hotel located on Cerrillos Rd. used to be the Super 8 Motel.
“When no other hotel was willing to step up and work with us, the team at Coyote South was, and we were able to work out a arrangement that was mutually beneficial,” stated the CEO of The Life Link, Dr. Michael DeBernardi.
The Life Link Outreach Team, led by Program Manager Janelle Bohannon, MA, LMHC, moved quickly into action once the money was approved to secure the contract with Coyote South Hotel for the 30 rooms. Lunch is being served daily from Social Kitchen + Bar, a restaurant located at Coyote South's sister property, The Sage Hotel. Coyote South also provides weekly laundry services. "These are unprecedented times and the way we get through it is by sticking together and helping one another. We highly value our community and fully support what this project is about. When the opportunity arose, we felt uniquely positioned and confident that we could make it work. We have two separate wings in our property. We have dedicated one wing of the hotel solely to The Life Link. The second wing is for the remainder of our customers” said Katrina Jenkins, Coyote South Hotel General Manager.
“Having this space gives us the unique opportunity to provide intensive case management that includes helping with housing plans, assistance with job searches, daily room checks, and other necessary support services” stated Janelle. The Life Link is also helping to provide security deposits and other long-term housing and move-in assistance through their Housing Support Department.
Dr. DeBernardi stated,” Providing these wrap-around services is important so that we are not just housing these individuals for the short term and then putting them back out on the streets. Much of the money we are getting will end at the end of the year yet we remain optimistic that we can have some longer-term impact with this program for as many people as possible.”
Dinner is being delivered nightly from longtime supporters of The Life Link’s Outreach efforts, Santa Fe Airport Grill and what THE truck. Victoria Bruneni, owner and CEO shares, “This project means so much to me for several reasons. The Life Link offers such valuable resources for those in need on so many levels from substance abuse to mental health wellness as well as homelessness. This organization has touched many people in my life that needed help. They truly serve our community where it's needed. At the beginning of the pandemic a good friend shared a post about food needed for a Life Link outreach program and we quickly jumped on board to help by donating meals for 6 straight months. This current project allowed The Life Link to hire us to provide up to 50 meals per night at the hotel through December. Not only does this mean a great deal to me because it’s such a worthy organization but this will allow us the stability to be able to keep both a restaurant and a catering company open and employees employed through the end of the year. Covid has created a great deal of challenges for our industry and I am grateful that we were offered this rewarding opportunity on so many levels.”