LAS CRUCES---The Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH) will be holding its annual “Thanksgiving of Hope” open house on Sunday, November 13th from 12:30 to 2:30pm.
The annual “Thanksgiving of Hope” is an opportunity for the public and interested community members to learn more about the services provide to the homeless and near homeless in Las Cruces. This year, the “Thanksgiving of Hope” will focus on Veterans. According to recent statistics, 11% of the homeless adult population is veterans. Vets are twice as likely to become chronically homeless as other Americans, and women vets are four times as likely to become homeless as male vets. Almost 20% of New Mexico’s veterans are homeless.
The open house will include tours of the facility and Camp Hope, the tent city located on the grounds of the campus, learn about the various programs offered to the homeless community, talk to clients who have received services from MVCH, and free soup prepared by the students in the culinary arts program at Alma d’ Arte.
Nicole Martinez, Executive Director of MVCH, welcomes the chance to speak to the public about the services offered to the homeless and near homeless population. “This is a great chance to learn more about the various steps that are needed to get someone who is homeless into their own home. It is a tremendous honor to be able to provide these services and help so many individuals,” Martinez says. Nearly all of the Community of Hope’s clients are homeless and others are on the brink of homelessness and face living their lives on the streets in a matter of weeks or even days. She adds, “There are a number of life-altering crises that can contribute to someone becoming homeless and sharing the stories of individuals who have been helped is important for us.”
The “Thanksgiving of Hope” Open House takes place on Sunday, November 13th from 12:30 to 2:30pm and is free to the public. The Community of Hope campus is located at 999 West Amador Ave. Ample parking is available.
The MVCH is a service center that addresses homelessness and poverty in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County, New Mexico. The mission is to promote dignity and empowerment among the homeless population by providing case management, disability and income assistance and permanent housing.