The New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers, known as The VIC, is adding a building beside its existing southeast Albuquerque center near I-25 and Gibson. The nonprofit, which works to help veterans experiencing homelessness, says the project will expand mental-health services, provide space for donated household goods and support food security.
The expansion follows requests from veterans for more mental-health care, according to KRQE. The station reported that The VIC already provides homeless veterans with services that include financial assistance, health care and housing; the new space is intended to increase its mental-health offerings.
KRQE also reported that retired Marine David Fauntleroy spent months on Albuquerque's streets before reaching The VIC. He said the organization helped him rebuild his life.
New Space Will Double as a Donation and Food Hub
The building is also expected to consolidate furniture and household goods that The VIC currently keeps in eight storage units around the city. The items, including couches, lamps and toasters, can then be provided to veterans setting up homes, according to KRQE.
The VIC also intends to use the expansion to support food security for veterans it serves, KRQE reported. The station said the organization was holding a food and clothing drive that Saturday, but did not specify the time or location.
Funding and New Hires on the Way
City funding from opioid settlement funds is helping pay for the project. The VIC plans to use that funding to hire a full-time nurse and expand mental-health and therapy services, KRQE reported. Chief therapist Joseph Hogan told the station the organization hopes to add therapists and eventually bill Medicaid and Tricare for veterans' care.
The VIC already has an art therapist, CEO Brock Wolff told KRQE, and hopes to add pet and garden therapy. The new building was expected to be completed as early as March, though that was a projected timeline, not a confirmed date.
A Statewide Homelessness Picture That Keeps Worsening
A January 29, 2024, point-in-time count estimated 1,231 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Albuquerque, up 26% from 977 the year before. The count estimated another 1,011 people in the rest of New Mexico outside Albuquerque—not the statewide total—up 62% from 623 the previous year, according to Source New Mexico. The outlet noted that researchers believe the count likely understates the number of people experiencing homelessness in New Mexico.
Veteran homelessness and Albuquerque services
The VA reported that the number of veterans experiencing homelessness nationwide fell from 35,574 in 2023 to 32,882 in January 2024; the number of unsheltered veterans declined from 15,507 to 13,851. These national veteran figures are separate from the New Mexico point-in-time estimates of unsheltered people across the general population. The VA New Mexico Health Care website lists mental health among more than 50 services at Albuquerque's Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center and says its homeless-veteran services can help with immediate food and shelter needs, including transitional and permanent housing.
The VIC's broader footprint reflects the scale of that need. Per Yahoo Finance, the New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers serves more than 1,100 families annually and provides rapid re-housing for over 325 veteran households each year, with housing stability rates around 80 percent among program participants. In June, the organization received a $25,000 donation from PMI U.S. to support expanded housing capacity and services, and it has said it plans to expand its transitional-housing campus along with behavioral-health and workforce-development programs in 2027.
That growth builds on an earlier transitional-housing project that was described as more than doubling the number of veterans the center could serve, with an 8,000-square-foot building planned to hold wraparound services and staff. The center reported that 81% of veterans who came through its doors were still in permanent housing a year later.
Veterans, their concerned family members, and partner-agency employees can submit referrals to The VIC through a form or in person at its Albuquerque campus during normal business hours, according to the New Mexico Veterans Integration Centers. The organization says it reviews a veteran's discharge documentation, current housing and financial situation, and immediate needs before determining what assistance it can offer, and lists U.S. Armed Forces veterans and unmarried surviving spouses of veterans as generally eligible, noting that some programs carry additional service and discharge requirements.
