Although the numbers have been going down, in the US there are still about 33,000 homeless veterans out on the street on any given night. In 2005, the non-profit Veterans Integration Centers (VIC) was founded to address this problem. We talked to the CEO, Brock Wollf, about how the VIC is making lives better for veterans and their families. He told us, “We do rapid rehousing. We get a call that someone just got evicted…we can help get them into a home…we can help with a rental. We try to make sure that they don't end up on the streets homeless. We also do outreach on the streets to determine who the veterans are.”
Brock continued. “Once we identify a veteran, they can come into our transitional housing facility. We have case workers who then offer daily or weekly assistance with legal services, financial aid, and employment support. Eighty one percent that come into our support services are permanently housed within a year. That’s better than the national average for transitional housing.”
In September, Veterans Integration Centers opened a new transitional housing facility on Mulberry Street in southeast Albuquerque. It can house 42 veterans and 46 family members. The rooms are set up like a hotel building with a TV and a refrigerator in each room. Shortly, there’ll be a pickleball court, a dog park for service animals, a basketball court, a walking trail, gardens, a computer lab, and spaces for therapy. There are communal kitchens where the families cook their own meals. Everyone staying at the facility must make a commitment to do the hard work of getting their life back on track in order to continue to reside there. Brock says, “We don’t make judgements here. We provide a place where they can find dignity. You served this country but got off track somewhere. You come in here we're going to help you and we're going to put our resources around you.”
The VIC receives funding from federal, state, and local sources. Notably, Bernalillo County has been one of the biggest financial supporters of the organization. Brock says, “I think there's a lot of pride in the county commissioners. I know they are very proud to have this here the city. Also, there are a lot of donations from businesses and individuals of appliances and furniture for the apartments.”
One of the problems that the center often sees is that veterans previously worked in high-adrenaline situations where they had a clear sense of purpose and mission. Readjusting to a civilian mindset is sometimes a big challenge. Brock told us that there is no cookie-cutter approach to addressing this. “There is no one-size-fits-all. We must be able to be creative and adaptive and meet these men and women where they are. That takes a little bit of time to get to know them and to know what their issues are and how we can help get rid of those for them.”
To contribute or volunteer to the Veterans Integration Centers, go to https://www.nmvic.org/ VIC also has a food distribution center on Central Avenue.
Eighty one percent that come into our support services are permanently housed within a year. That’s better than the national average for transitional housing.