San Juan County commissioners received an informational briefing on Oct. 7 from Lisa Gomez, executive director of People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), detailing the nonprofit’s shelter operations, recent staffing reductions and rising client loads. The presentation, delivered during the 8:20–34:35 portion of the meeting and confirmed by the official video transcription, reported that PATH served 537 clients in the fiscal year ending June 2025, up from 516 the prior year, while operating capacity was trimmed following budget-driven staffing cuts initiated after Gomez took the helm in May 2024.

Gomez outlined operational shifts that began with a reduction in force that cut staff from 20 to 10 and a subsequent decision in late spring 2024 to run the emergency shelter at approximately 75 percent capacity to manage resources. PATH continues to provide free daily meals and transitional apartments that can last up to two years, with rents starting at $500 per month. Yet the organization acknowledged low rates of transition from shelter to permanent housing, attributing barriers to job losses, skill gaps and mental health challenges among clients.

Commissioners did not take formal votes on PATH-specific items following the presentation, but they engaged on related topics such as intake processes and donations. Immediately after the PATH report, the commission unanimously approved a resolution recognizing 911 telecommunications personnel as first responders and awarded an engineering contract for the Four Corners Freight Rail Project under a $4 million federal grant. A separate resolution approved the sale of county land for a proposed natural gas power plant. Meeting records indicate those items were discussed as distinct new business and not as PATH-led efforts.

Local economic context is central to the discussion. San Juan County has experienced disruptions in the energy sector alongside rising housing costs in Farmington and Aztec, pressures that correlate with increased service demand at PATH. The freight rail contract and potential power plant investment point to near-term infrastructure and energy activity that could affect local labor markets; county leaders and PATH officials flagged job creation as a linkage worth exploring for client employment pathways, though no formal integration was announced.

PATH’s work is supported in part by local donors including Target and ECHO Food Bank and has coordinated with county Emergency Management during past crises such as COVID-19. The organization, in operation since 1983, plans community outreach and fundraising events including the 15th annual Día de los Muertos Chocolate Affair on Nov. 1 at the Elks Lodge in Farmington to sustain services.

For residents, the briefing underscored both immediate needs and potential policy levers: increased county engagement could translate into funding, facility tours or programmatic partnerships that reduce pressure on public safety services and local nonprofits. Verification of the meeting content comes from the official video transcription; further reporting should track whether PATH’s invited facility tours occur, the outcome of the Nov. 1 fundraiser, and whether county infrastructure projects tangibly expand employment avenues for PATH clients.