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Opportunity Center: VA-led three-day surge contacted 313 unhoused people; veterans may be undercounted
Summary
The Opportunity Center described a VA-mandated three-day outreach that encountered 313 unhoused people across El Paso, completed 157 assessments and identified between 13 and 27 unhoused veterans; organizers warned ARPA-funded homelessness efforts expire in December 2026 and urged sustainable funding.
John Martin, deputy director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, told the Veterans Advisory Commission that a VA-led outreach surge on three days in late July contacted 313 unhoused people in El Paso, completed assessments for 157 and identified 13 unhoused veterans by assessment (8.3% of assessed) but noted debriefing suggested the veteran count could be 27 (17.2%).
Martin said the outreach divided the city into six geographic areas tied to El Paso Police Department command centers and used more than 85 volunteers and community partners. He said the welcome center and El Paso Helps collaborative are increasing engagement; the welcome center served nine unhoused veterans in 2023, 54 in 2024 and 92 in the first six months of 2025.
Why it matters: The surge shows rising contact with unhoused individuals and highlights a veteran population with an older average age (Martin said the average age for unhoused veterans is 60 compared with 46 for non-veterans). Martin warned that ARPA/treasury funding that currently supports many homelessness initiatives expires in December 2026 and that sustained resources will be required to continue the current level of humanitarian engagement.
Martin said that of the 313 people contacted, teams completed assessments for slightly more than half (157). He described the El Paso Helps initiative, funded with ARPA/Treasury dollars, and said the collaborative includes the Opportunity Center, Amistad and United Way, alongside city police and fire. He said the surge was mandated by the VA and that an after-action report would be developed and shared with partners.
Martin also described capacity limits: the Opportunity Center’s Veterans Transitional Living Center and Veterans Shelter together provide 40 beds; the Welcome Center creates a waiting-area engagement point so the center does not lose individuals when no beds are immediately available. He noted a capacity expansion and renovation plan that includes approximately $15 million in renovation work to add beds and housing units, and that the Veterans Transitional Living Center (opened 2023) is now solar powered.
Ending: The Opportunity Center asked the VAC and partners to plan for ongoing outreach beyond a one-off surge, and to consider funding strategies before ARPA/Treasury funds expire in late 2026.
