Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
amm is a sanctuary church
Sanctuary Means:
* Safe Space, Shared Humanity — Sanctuary as a lived commitment to peace and equality.
* Welcoming Those Who Need Safety — Sanctuary as standing with people facing homelessness or persecution.
* Living Our Witness Through Sanctuary — Sanctuary as putting faith into action for justice and community.
* A Community of Safety and Solidarity — Sanctuary as practicing peace, equality, and anti‑racism.
Sanctuary Working Group Co-Clerks: Sara Keeney and Sarah Malone
Contact either at: info@abqfriends.org
Image by Emna, in Sanctuary (2017-2018)
amm outreach to our unhoused neighbors
Goal Statement - June 2020
In June 2020, the Sanctuary Working Group issued the following goal statement at the monthly Meeting for Worship for Business. Since that time, the group has presented monthly updates on this ministry through meeting for Worship with Attention to Business.
The Sanctuary Task Force of Albuquerque Friends Meeting envisions a community in which housing instability is rare--or brief and non-recurring--ending homelessness as we know it. We aim to engage with unsheltered neighbors from a framework of solidarity and mutuality—rather than a charity-based model--through which we may build a greater sense of relationship and shared community.
In keeping with Friends' Testimonies on Community and Equality, and recognizing AMM’s long-standing collaboration with (formerly) St Martin’s Hospitality Center (now Hopeworks), on their meal program, we support individuals and families experiencing homelessness in gaining access to life-sustaining resources within our local neighborhood and beyond. We progress toward this goal by providing access to safe, potable drinking water and to a resting place during daytime hours.
2026 update: We progress toward this goal by providing water, a resting place, food and clothing every Saturday afternoon.
Goal Statement Continued....
Additionally, according to our capacity, we will offer referrals to and/or support for liaison with groups serving unhoused people, as well as advocacy with government and other agencies to provide a wide-range of services.
amm's unhoused neighbor outreach in action
Harm Reduction - Water
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Water is provided on Saturday afternoons when formal outreach takes place between 1:00 and 5:00 PM.
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Access to electric outlet on front bench to charge devices - cell phones/tablets is available during weekly Saturday afternoon outreach from 1 - 5 p.m.
Just Say Hello!
Harm Reduction - Electricity
Harm Reduction: Supplies
Volunteers greet unhoused neighbors during Saturday afternoon outreach from 1-5 PM at the Meeting House.
Harm Reduction: Supplies
Interface With Other Groups
Harm Reduction: Supplies
Thanks to regular donations from Talking Talons Thrift Shop in Cedar Crest and to our annual Long Winter's Night campaign, we provide clothing, blankets, shoes, tents, sleeping bags, tarps and more to support folks living outside year round. A dedicated team helps to sort and distribute donations from the meeting house regularly. (See below for more on the Long Winter's Night Campaign).
The Meeting also partners with the Transgender Resource Center, which provides harm reduction supplies on an intermittent schedule.
Interface With Other Groups
Interface With Other Groups
Interface With Other Groups
AMM has participated in numerous community and city-based committees; interfaced with the NM Coalition to End Homelessness, Healthcare for the Homeless, and other agencies. AMM issued a minute condemning "Sweeps" by the City that take and destroy all possessions from unhoused people. See below for a copy of the Minute.
AMM collects supplies twice a month from Talking Talons Thrift Shop in Cedar Crest, and then distributes them through either the Meeting House Saturday Outreach program, Hopeworks and/orThe Hook-Up.
Security Matters
Interface With Other Groups
Interface With Other Groups
- New Security system in 2023;
- Identify/Pick Up Sharps
- Alternative to 911 plan/team
- Request to APD to stop using AMM parking lot
- Narcan training and access on site
- Increase building use by AMM and community members/ groups, especially those with a social justice focus.
- Peripheral campus fencing 2025 with open hours on Saturdays from 1-5 p.m.
long winter's night campaign
Fund Raising Efforts 2021-26
Since March 2020, AMM expanded its outreach to unhoused neighbors by providing access to water and electricity, snacks, sleeping bags, blankets, tents, clothing, and a safe place to rest. Visitors are welcomed as part of the AMM community, and many have become familiar friends over time.
During the winter of 2021–22, the Sanctuary Working Group and Building & Grounds Committee expanded these efforts by raising funds for additional resources and emergency shelter during extreme weather. Together with Stone Age Climbing Gym, AMM launched the “Long Winter’s Night” GoFundMe campaign, which continued each year from 2021 to 2025.
In 2024, the “Sizzling Summer” campaign raised funds that continued to support winter needs so a separate winter campaign was not needed that year.