Mayor Keller Announces USS Albuquerque Coming Home and New Veteran Housing Programs
ALBUQUERQUE – In remarks at the Veterans Day Ceremony, Mayor Tim Keller shared updates on the work that city government and its partners are advancing to support and honor Albuquerque’s veterans.
Mayor Keller’s remarks can be viewed here and a directory of resources for Albuquerque veterans can be found online at the Mayor’s Veterans Resource Center.
The largest initiative discussed by Mayor Keller is a one-million-dollar grant being awarded to the Veterans Integration Center to support the construction of a new transitional housing campus. The project will provide quality transitional housing and support for 100 households exiting homelessness each year.
The City is also deepening its work with the Veterans Administration and exploring the opening of a VA office within the Gateway Center at Gibson. The Gateway Center is a 24/7 emergency shelter with wrap-around health care, employment, and housing services that is opening this winter.
“Our community is together today to honor the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans. We owe them a debt that is impossible to ever repay, but it is our duty to strive each day to give back and ensure that our veterans are receiving the benefits they have earned and the support they and their families may need,” said Mayor Keller.
Mayor Keller also highlighted the newly created CABQ Office of Military and Veterans Affairs. Located at the Veterans Memorial Park, the office is led by Thomas Tozier, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and is dedicated to advancing the priorities of Albuquerque’s veteran and military community and better connecting them with City services.
This year also marked the return of the Veterans Day Parade after a three-year hiatus during the pandemic. Together with partners including the Veterans Memorial Foundation, the United Veterans Council of Greater Albuquerque, and the Roadrunner Convoy, the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs organized this year’s Veterans Day Ceremony and parade, expanding programing to include more opportunities for youth and families to join the ceremony and honor New Mexico’s veterans.
The office is also spearheading the City effort to bring the decommissioned USS Albuquerque nuclear submarine to the city and create a monument out of the 19-foot-tall submarine sail. Yesterday, the transfer of ownership to the City was approved by the US Navy. Read more about the USS Albuquerque project here.