Bernalillo store helps fund free home repairs for Sandoval County families

A leaking roof, a broken furnace or a bad electrical line can push a Sandoval County family from inconvenience into crisis. A new storefront in Bernalillo is now meant to turn purchases into the repairs that keep those homes safe.

Rebuilding Together Sandoval County opened its ReBuild ReSale Store on April 30 at 237 South Camino Del Pueblo, putting a curated home and vintage marketplace on a busy Bernalillo corridor and tying every sale directly to free home repairs. The nonprofit says the money will go back into health-and-safety work for low-income seniors, veterans and families, including roof repairs, furnace and water heater replacements, plumbing and electrical fixes, and accessibility upgrades such as ramps and wider doors.

Executive Director Mark Ryerson said Bernalillo made sense because the organization has long worked with homeowners there and has built a durable relationship with local leaders and the town government. Rebuilding Together Sandoval County serves homeowners in Algodones, Bernalillo, Corrales, Pena Blanca, Placitas, Rio Rancho, San Ysidro and western Sandoval County, and says it is the only New Mexico affiliate of the national Rebuilding Together network.

The scale of the work helps explain why leaders are looking for a steadier revenue stream. The organization says it has completed more than 350 home repair projects since 1999, with nearly 70 completed in the past year alone. Local reporting has said the number of homes repaired has risen 500% since 2020, while the group’s budget has grown from $26,000 in 2020 to a projected $500,000-plus this year.

That growth comes as the county’s housing pressures remain acute. Sandoval County’s population is 157,757, and aging homes, rising repair costs and limited savings can quickly turn a fixable problem into a housing stability issue. The county also operates a HUD-funded Permanent Supportive Housing Program for chronically disabled residents, while Housing New Mexico runs a Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Program for eligible disabled veterans, underscoring the demand for repairs and accessibility changes across the state.

The new store is also a practical donation hub. Rebuilding Together says it is accepting household items, cookware, gently used women’s clothing, artwork, tools, power tools, landscaping equipment and jewelry. It will not take broken or damaged items, televisions, food, CDs, DVDs, books, frames, large household appliances, baby seats or cribs, printers or large exercise equipment. Donation pickup may be available on a case-by-case basis, and the store is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Founded in 1999 as a volunteer effort to complete a home repair project for a neighbor in need, Rebuilding Together Sandoval County has grown into a countywide repair operation built on volunteers, licensed contractors and a simple equation: what shoppers spend in Bernalillo helps keep a roof on, a ramp in place and a family in its home.