VA deploys Mobile Vet Center to Surfside community following condo collapse

VA has deployed a Mobile Vet Center to Surfside, Florida, to support individuals impacted by the events of the Champlain Towers South condo collapse. The Mobile Vet Center will provide free, easily accessible mental health resources and counseling to individuals in crisis.

The Mobile Vet Center is located at the St. Joseph Catholic Church at 8670 Byron Avenue, Miami Beach, which is approximately eight blocks from the disaster site. Vet Center staff and professional counselors are available to provide counseling, outreach, education and referral services to Veterans, service members and their families. The Mobile Vet Center is operational from 10:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. through Thursday, and on Friday July 2 from 10:30-noon. These services are strictly confidential and at no cost.

The Clermont Mobile Vet Center with counselors from Pompano Beach Vet Center are supporting the community response to the Champlain Towers South building collapse.

Process for seeking services during the deployment

The Mobile Vet Center will accept walk-in appointments from 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. If a next-day appointment or a secure virtual service is preferred, please call the Miami Vet Center at (305) 718-3712, located at 8280 NW 27th St Suite 511; the Fort Lauderdale Vet Center at (954) 714-2381, located at 3666 West Oakland Park Blvd; Lauderdale Lakes or the Pompano Beach Vet Center at (954) 984-1669, located at 2300 West Sample Road Suite 102. Calls placed after normal business hours will be answered by the 24/7 Vet Center Call Center (1-877-927-8387).

Vet Center background

Vet Centers, including Mobile Vet Centers, provide confidential counseling, outreach and referral services to eligible Veterans, active duty service members – including members of the National Guard and Reserve components – and their families. Vet Centers are located at more than 300 locations, including more than 80 Mobile Vet Centers, a 24/7 Call Center and numerous access points across the nation. Mobile Vet Centers and Vet Center staff often deploy to emergency or crisis situations to help care for the communities they are in, providing necessary counseling and connection to other community resources they may need at the time. To find a Vet Center near you, visit www.va.gov/find-locations or call 1-877-927-VETS (8387).