Veterans Transition Center of California

The Veterans Transition Center of California (VTC) empowers Veterans to transition from crisis to self-sufficiency. Since 1997, VTC has provided housing, resources, and wraparound support to more than 26,000 Veterans and their families across Monterey County and beyond. Located on historic Fort Ord in Marina, California, VTC is one of the few programs in the nation that serves Veterans with their families and pets, ensuring no one is left behind.

VTC’s services address every stage of a Veteran’s reintegration—emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing—combined with comprehensive case management that tackles medical, psychological, occupational, educational, and social barriers to stability. Each Veteran is paired with a dedicated case manager who develops an individualized plan toward independence, connecting them with mental health counseling, substance abuse recovery, employment resources, transportation, benefits assistance, food, and clothing.

VTC is recognized as a national leader in innovative Veteran rehabilitation. The organization established the first prison yard in the nation dedicated solely to the rehabilitation of incarcerated Veterans and provides continuity of care for those paroling into its housing programs.

VTC’s newest development, Lightfighter Village, opened in 2025 and adds 71 permanent supportive housing units for homeless Veterans, located near the Major General William H. Gourley VA-DoD Outpatient Clinic with direct transportation to VA Palo Alto. This milestone project reflects VTC’s commitment to achieving “Functional Zero” for Veteran homelessness—where no Veteran is forced to be without a home.

VTC’s staff reflects the diversity of the Veterans they serve, bringing lived experience and cultural competence to every interaction. The team includes Veterans, formerly homeless individuals, and those who have overcome incarceration, addiction, and trauma. This lived empathy fuels a unique peer-driven environment of accountability, compassion, and progress.

Beyond housing, VTC runs workforce development and entrepreneurial programs that prepare Veterans for sustainable employment.. The organization also partners with local colleges, employers, and community organizations to connect Veterans with education and job placement opportunities.

VTC’s food recovery and sustainability initiatives further extend its impact with its food pantry program feeding 1200 veterans and their families monthly. VTC tracks donated and recovered food by weight, water saved, and carbon offset, diverting thousands of pounds of edible food from landfills each year to feed Veterans and families in need. A solar installation project is underway to reduce operational costs and model renewable energy use across Veteran housing.

Since its founding, VTC has transformed 16 duplex houses, ADA compliant Accessory Dwelling Units, and a 71-unit apartment complex into a thriving Veteran community that embodies hope, opportunity, and self-determination. Its programs have earned multiple Monterey County Non-Profit of the Year awards, national recognition as a top 10% Veteran service provider, and deep trust from the community it serves. Every dollar donated directly supports housing, meals, recovery programs, transportation, and the tools Veterans need to rebuild their lives.

At its core, VTC stands for second chances and permanent solutions. It exists so that no Veteran is left on the streets, no family is turned away, and no service member is forgotten. The work continues—because every Veteran deserves a home, a purpose, and a future.