Las Cruces will be formally recognized as the first city in New Mexico, and 13th in the country, to functionally end veteran homelessness at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at a veterans housing complex, 3350 Oak St., Las Cruces.
Speaking at the news conference will be Mayor Ken Miyagishima, Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator Tammye Treviño, and Nicole Martinez, executive director, Mesilla Valley Community of Hope/Abode, Inc. A former homeless veteran will also be available for interview. Representatives of El Paso VA will also attend.
According to the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH), during Fiscal Year 2014/2015 that ended June 30, the agency served 298 homeless and near-homeless veterans, and housed 79 veterans - 70 male and nine female. MVCH focused on a housing preference for veterans in each of the nine housing programs it offers.
Functional Zero is achieved when a community has identified all veterans experiencing homelessness, and when there are no longer any veterans experiencing unsheltered homelessness. In Las Cruces, they are receiving shelter at Camp Hope, the Gospel Rescue Mission and/or services from the Community of Hope.
According to Nicole Martinez, executive director of the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, “The MVCH has resources, and a plan and timeline, for providing permanent housing, adequate levels of resources, and appropriate plans to ensure housing stability. And MVCH’s housing placement rate for veterans is higher than the number of veterans needing housing between now and December 2015.
Las Cruces’ efforts to end veteran homelessness are in response to the “Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness” by the end of 2015, which was announced by First Lady Michelle Obama on June 4, 2014. A total of 855 mayors, governors and county officials have signed up for the Challenge to date.
“I want to applaud Mayor Miyagishima, the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, the Veterans Administration, and the people of Las Cruces for their hard work in reaching the goal of the Mayors Challenge,” said RA Teviño. “Your efforts will mean that no homeless vets will be sleeping on the streets and they will have access to permanent housing. You’ve shown the nation that it is an achievable goal.”