A huge portion of the jobs in our community are part time- more so than the state of New Mexico or the National average. Most of these positions pay minimum wage. Can people build stable lives on that?

When wages are so low that workers must rely on public programs like SNAP, EBT, or HUD just to get by: what kind of business model is that? Is that the community we want? Why do taxpayers end up subsidizing businesses whose workers can’t make ends meet?

Housing, cost of living, poverty— these aren’t abstract issues; they show up in every paycheck, every month. Over 44% of renters in Alamogordo spend 30% or more of their entire household income on rent. Every year, about $59 million in rent money flows out of local wallets into private pockets(more than Alamogordo City’s General Fund for 2024-2025), and almost half of those pockets are out of state. What does that leave us with?

Seeing 24.3% of our children and youth living below the poverty line isn’t just a statistic— it’s a reflection of failed leadership, inadequate vision, and poor policy. Imagine if Alamogordo had the lowest poverty rate in New Mexico, the highest homeownership, and schools that are truly well-funded. We cn demand tht kind of future. It starts with holding power accountable and building together what we deserve.