KRWG News – ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRWG) The New Mexico American Legion Riders has donated $25,000 to the Veterans' Integration Center.
The check presentation last week launched the New Mexico Veterans Challenge, which wants all New Mexicans to donate at least $5 to raise money for a permanent integration center for homeless veterans.
Currently, the program leases 50 rooms at an Albuquerque hotel, but its backers want a facility that can house up to 100 veterans.
The nonprofit Veterans Integration Center requires residents to commit to a two-year program that offers housing, counseling, job training assistance, health care referrals and other programs designed to help homeless veterans and their families get back on their feet.
The center receives funding from the U.S. Veterans Administration and a contract with the state Department of Veterans Services.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. KRWG