A place where every young person can just be who they already are.
Casa Q has been home to LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and Ally youth in New Mexico since 2015 — starting as a single group house and growing into a two-program path that walks alongside young people from 14 all the way through independent adulthood.
Started in a living room. Built by a community.
Casa Q was conceived in 2012 by advocates, lawyers, and LGBTQ+ community members who saw that queer and trans young people in New Mexico were ending up on the streets, in shelter-hopping cycles, or placed with families who refused to affirm them. They opened the state’s first dedicated LGBTQ+ youth group house in 2015 in a rented house near Albuquerque’s Uptown area.
Over the years, we listened. Teens aging out of our group home at 18 told us the same thing: “I’m not ready.” So in 2019 we launched our Transitional Living Program — individual apartments, wraparound case management, and real runway to adulthood.
Today, Casa Q is the only LGBTQ+-specific residential provider in the state of New Mexico for youth 14–22, and we’re still learning, still growing, and still led by the voices of the young people we serve.
We provide teen and young adults in crisis from New Mexico with safe housing, affirming care, and a durable path to adulthood — rooted in community, guided by lived experience, and held together by unconditional dignity.
Affirming
Every young person is met and loved as their whole self — name, pronouns, identity, relationships, faith, expression.
Trauma-informed
We understand that behavior is communication. Staff are trained in trauma-responsive, attachment-based care.
Youth-led
Programs are shaped by the young people in them. They get a say in their own goal planning, chore divisions, and food options.
Rooted in NM
We honor the Indigenous, Hispanic, and queer histories of this land. We support and partner with local LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and Ally businesses.
Evidence-based
We measure what matters. The Outcomes Framework tracks five life pillars at entry, exit, and beyond.
Radically welcoming
Queer, trans, BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent, undocumented, sober, in recovery — there is a seat for you here.
Two programs. One continuum of care from 14 through 22.
Casa Q Home for Teens
A staffed, licensed residential home in Albuquerque for youth ages 14–17. 24/7 supportive care, affirming family milieu, school coordination, behavioral health, and a stable base to grow from.
Teens program →Transitional Living Program
Individual scattered-site apartments with wraparound case management for young adults ages 18–22 — building durable housing stability, income, and life skills across a 24-month horizon.
Young Adults program →Led by people with lived experience.
Casa Q is staffed by case managers, client advocates, mentors, and operations folks who reflect the identities, cultures, and backgrounds of the young people we serve. A majority of our team identifies as LGBTQ+.
Casa Q has a dedicated, trauma-informed, hard working, understanding, and giving staff of Client Advocates and Mentors. We could not exist without their unwavering love and support for our youth. For their privacy, we do not list their names or images on this site.
Governed by community.
Made possible with.
Casa Q is funded through a mix of government contracts (~72%), foundation grants, individual donors, fundraisers, and in-kind community support. We’re grateful to every partner who makes this work possible.
Become part of the story.
Casa Q exists because New Mexicans decided queer and trans youth deserve a safe home. Join that legacy — as a donor, a volunteer, or a neighbor.