Reaching for Opportunity

Texas Tech Health El Paso and Opportunity Center deepen mental health outreach with Reach Resilience Grant

EL PASO, Texas — Anthony Lerma remembers the night he found hope. 

Homeless and struggling with schizophrenia, Lerma wandered the streets of El Paso. A chance encounter at a downtown park led him to the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, where he received not only shelter and a meal, but also — crucially — a connection to mental health care through Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Project Opportunity. That moment marked the beginning of his journey back to stability and possibility.

Lerma fondly remembered that night. 

“The Opportunity Center led me to a path where I could speak to a psychiatrist with Texas Tech Health El Paso and get the medication I need,” Lerma said. “It’s been amazing. I enjoy visiting with my doctor; she’s given me hope for a future that I thought was completely lost.”

After recently celebrating its first anniversary, Project Opportunity is poised to expand its impact with a $280,000 grant from Reach Resilience. The new funding will enable Texas Tech Health El Paso and the Opportunity Center to recruit outreach specialists to connect people in need with the university’s psychiatric resident doctors. Additionally, it will support the hiring of a patient navigator to address challenges such as medication adherence and engaging loved ones as a support system for patients, ensuring that the city’s most vulnerable residents have a pathway to healthy minds and brighter futures.

“Project Opportunity reflects the very best of what can happen when health care, compassion, and community come together,” said Sonya Medina Williams, President and CEO of Reach Resilience. “We are honored to support Texas Tech Health El Paso and the Opportunity Center as they expand this powerful partnership. Together, they are delivering vital care and support to people in crisis — and creating real pathways to wellness and stability.”

The Challenge of Mental Health and Homelessness

Across the United States, homelessness and mental illness remain a daunting challenge. In 2022, more than 582,000 individuals experienced homelessness for at least one night, with over 122,000 living with severe mental illness. In our Borderplex, the urgent need for accessible, compassionate care is growing.

Launched in June 2024 by Texas Tech Health El Paso and the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, Project Opportunity was designed to address the community’s pressing mental health needs. A multiyear $75,000 grant from Bank of America enabled Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Department of Psychiatry to deploy physician residents to the Opportunity Center, using remote video technology to deliver psychiatric services.

For Lerma and many others, this meant immediate access to a psychiatrist, medication management and ongoing support — all without the barriers of transportation, cost or stigma.

After years of struggling to access care, the musician and former University of Texas at El Paso computer engineering major now has a wide variety of resources. He receives regular virtual psychiatric consultations and medication monitoring from Texas Tech Health El Paso psychiatric residents through the Opportunity Center. Lerma gets his blood work done at the Centro San Vicente Health Clinic.

“I would definitely tell others in need to give the program a chance when they come to the Opportunity Center,” Lerma said. “The support available is so incredible.”

The program’s approach is holistic: Along with mental health care, participants receive help with housing applications, benefits enrollment and social support. Unlike some shelters, the Opportunity Center doesn’t require immediate employment or income, allowing residents to focus on recovery and stability.

The Reach Resilience grant is building a sustainable model for community care in El Paso. By integrating psychiatric services with shelter support, Project Opportunity is creating a template that could enhance similar efforts across the United States.

John Martin, Deputy Director of the Opportunity Center for the Homeless, stated “the partnership with Texas Tech Health El Paso is a true representation of the shared responsibility of our community in working with the vulnerable, unhoused community. Access to mental health care is critical as we transition our residents out of homelessness. The support of the Reach Resilience is allowing us to not only expand but to enhance access to mental health care.”

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY CENTER FOR THE HOMELESS

The Opportunity Center for the Homeless exists to support and help all homeless individuals to move beyond their condition if they are capable; or protect them if they cannot improve their condition in society because of emotional or psychological disorders.

About Reach Resilience 

Reach Resilience drives lasting community change through strategic investments that empower organizations and communities to overcome immediate adversity, create sustainable impact, and build resilience for the long term. Its grantmaking focuses on economic security, well-being, and disaster response. As the philanthropic partner of Endeavors, Reach Resilience harnesses a shared purpose to provide essential funding and resources that support evidence-based programs, uplifting communities and individuals to thrive. reachresilience.org

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YOU CAN HELP.

At Texas Tech Health El Paso, we're committed to growing our own health care heroes and changing the state of health care in our Borderplex. For more information about how to help, please contact craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu  or visit ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/ia/giving/ .