Prescott Valley Opens New Veterans Resource Center Serving Yavapai County's Military Community

Veterans in Yavapai County now have a centralized hub for benefits, mental health support, and career services closer to home.

The Yavapai County Veterans Resource Center held its grand opening Saturday morning in Prescott Valley, drawing more than 200 veterans, community members, and local officials. The 6,000-square-foot facility, located on East State Route 69, will serve the county's estimated 30,000 veterans — one of the highest per-capita veteran populations in Arizona.

Services Under One Roof

The center consolidates services that previously required veterans to travel to Phoenix or Tucson — a two-hour drive each way for many residents in rural Yavapai County.

On-site services include VA benefits counseling, mental health counseling through a partnership with the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System, job placement assistance through the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, and legal aid clinics offered monthly by the Yavapai County Bar Association.

"For a veteran living in Cottonwood or Camp Verde, driving to the Phoenix VA means taking a whole day off work," said retired Marine Corps Colonel Jim Patterson, who chairs the nonprofit board that operates the center. "Now they can walk in here, sit down with a counselor, and get help filing a claim, scheduling an appointment, or talking to someone. That's what this is about — making it easier for the people who served."

Community-Driven Effort

The project was funded through a combination of a $450,000 grant from the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, $200,000 from Yavapai County, and approximately $180,000 in private donations and in-kind contributions from local businesses.

Prescott Valley, a town of approximately 47,000 residents, has one of the highest concentrations of military veterans in the state. Nearby Prescott is home to the Prescott VA Medical Center, but satellite services in the growing communities east of the city have lagged.

"We've been working on this for three years," said Prescott Valley Mayor Kelle Massey. "Our veteran community has been asking for something closer to home, and the county, the state, and our local businesses all stepped up. This is what happens when a community comes together."

Addressing Mental Health

A key focus of the center is mental health support for veterans transitioning to civilian life. According to the latest data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Arizona veterans experience suicide at a rate approximately 1.5 times the national average for non-veteran adults.

The center will offer weekly peer support groups led by trained veteran facilitators, individual counseling sessions with licensed clinicians, and crisis intervention referrals. A dedicated telehealth room allows veterans to connect with VA specialists remotely.

"The mental health piece is critical," said Patterson. "A lot of veterans don't want to walk into a VA hospital and ask for help. But they'll walk into a community center and talk to another veteran who's been there. That peer connection saves lives."

The center will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesdays until 7:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, and appointments can be scheduled through the Yavapai County Veterans Services website.