Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center has announced a renewed and expanded push into Westcliffe, aimed at giving veterans and military families in Custer County more reliable access to the organization's programs.
The effort reestablishes what the organization calls a "boots on the ground" presence in the Westcliffe area, building on years of work Mt. Carmel has conducted across a half-dozen southern Colorado counties, including El Paso, Teller, Pueblo, Las Animas, Alamosa, and Custer.
The suite of programs available to Westcliffe-area veterans covers a broad range of needs: referrals to veteran service officers, help navigating VA benefits, employment and career support including guidance on business ownership, behavioral health resources, and connections to emergency and financial assistance.
Outreach sessions in Custer County will take place at the West Custer County Library on Main Street, scheduled for the second and fourth Mondays of every month, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mt. Carmel framed the expansion in terms of its broader organizational philosophy. The organization described its purpose as stepping in "where systems fall short" and characterized the return to Westcliffe as "a natural extension of that mission."
Veterans and family members who want to learn more can reach Mt. Carmel by phone at (719) 309-4719 or through the organization's website.
Whether the Custer County sessions will grow in frequency or whether Mt. Carmel will add additional outreach locations elsewhere in the region has not yet been announced.