May 20—After months of delays, the city of Albuquerque has found an operator to run the Gateway Sobering Center, moving closer to being able to provide around-the-clock care for those struggling with addiction.

The City Council on Monday approved a contract with California-based Horizons Services for $1.6 million in federal funds to operate the sobering center.

The annual operating cost is estimated to be $3 million, according to Ellen Braden, deputy director for the city's Health, Housing and Homelessness department. She added that part of that funding would come from the opioid settlement agreement.

The sobering center is located at the city's Gateway campus in Southeast Albuquerque, which provides housing and behavioral health support. Braden said the center will likely begin operations around "late summer," as it will take four months after the contract is finalized to get services up and running.

Horizon Services, which operates multiple centers in California, was one of four companies that bid to run the center after the original provider, Listo, had its contract with the city terminated in February.

"We are providing services across the board for people in need of recovery, so I feel like it's filling a gap that we have not been able to provide in this community," Braden said of the center.

The number of overdose deaths in the state has steadily decreased in recent years, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, but New Mexico still ranks among the highest in the country for overdoses per capita. In Albuquerque, areas such as East Central have become synonymous with open-air drug use, particularly fentanyl.

The sobering center was scheduled to open in December, and the city in late November hosted a ceremony and news conference to celebrate its completion and pending opening. But that opening never happened. As a result, the city terminated its $2.5 million contract with Listo.

Once open, the 50 beds at the center will be used for intoxicated patients who can get up to 24 hours of observation and care.

"A variety of things can happen to people once they are sober enough, and they can make the decision that they are ready to return to wherever they came," Braden said. "It's a very low barrier, so we are offering opportunities to have referrals to ongoing treatment."

The low-barrier approach provides a "really good access point for people getting connected to services," according to Cassandra Boness, professor and researcher at the Center on Alcohol, Substance use and Addictions at the University of New Mexico.

"It gives people kind of a face and a person that they can go to, and if they're ready to make a change or want support, to have options for that," she said.