While traveling in southern New Mexico, Sen. Martin Heinrich stopped at a mobile children’s museum and amental health organization in Las Cruces to see how some federal dollars are being used by communities in need.
Heinrich toured Santa Teresa Port of Entry, along with U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, on Monday and the two Democrats held press conferences in Santa Teresa and in Las Cruces to talk about new border technology and the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act. Vasquez, who represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District, introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives in July.
Related: Heinrich and Vasquez visit border, talk about new bill to stop fentanyl
But in between the darker discussions about drug-related crime and illicit drug operations recruiting teenagers to smuggle illicit substances across the border, Heinrich made time for some lighter visits to see how government spending he helped procure is helping small children and families in Doña Ana County.
In Anthony, a city of about 10,000 located about 25 miles south of Las Cruces, Heinrich visited a mobile children’s museum created by an organization called Ngage New Mexico. Heinrich helped the organization receive $148,000 federal grant money.
Candace Cichuniec, program operations coordinator for Ngage New Mexico, told NM Political Report that Ngage had received several donations and grants since the group conceived of the idea six or seven years ago. But the $148,000 the nonprofit received in several years ago from the federal government enabled them to get the project over the finish line and open the mobile children museum in April.
The money went toward turning an RV into a mobile museum for children between the ages of 3 and 5. While Heinrich visited, some children put some pinecones into a basket in an outdoor play area set up next to the mobile museum. The mobile children’s museum also contains an area designed for children to role play being a veterinarian pretending to visit sick stuffed animals waiting inside kennels.
Cichuniec said the mobile museum has traveled throughout Doña Ana County since it opened in April. She said it not only provides an educational opportunity for young children, it also offers a chance for parents and children to interact together, which bolsters the parent-child relationship.
Cichuniec said Ngage doesn’t work in a vacuum. They partner with other, similar organizations, such as a Toy Lending Library, located in Anthony. Cichuniec said that since April, the mobile children’s museum has participated in about 10 events around Doña Ana County and tends to see around 25 families visit the museum at each event.
Heinrich also visited Families & Youth Innovation Plus, which is expanding its mental health services in Las Cruces byu launching a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Las Cruces with the help of $450,000 in recent federal grant money Heinrich also helped secure.
Kathryn Schmidt, a licensed social worker with FYI Plus, said that while the clinic is open to everyone, the majority of the clients are underserved youth and families. Schmidt said the clinic is located in the 88005 Las Cruces zip code and near the 88007 zip code. These zip codes are in the 98th percentile for social vulnerability for lower education and high poverty, she said.
“Even when compared to the rest of New Mexico, it’s in the danger zone,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt said the two Las Cruces zip codes compare with parts of Albuquerque for being places with high need. She said the organization works with practical support groups, such as a housing program in order to help connect families who are struggling to pay the bills.The other organizations will help with practical aspects while FYI Plus helps the families with behavioral health aspects.
She said there are other offerings, such as a dance program for teenagers, which enables teens in need to work off energy in positive ways.
Schmidt said the organization also offers gender-affirming care for LGBTQ youth.
“We are open to kids all across the gender spectrum,” she said.
Heinrich told NM Political Report that he sees the expansion of FYI+’s services as a “key building block to be able to have the stability to build public safety.”
“If you don’t have the infrastructure, it shows up in all kinds of other ways, including crime stats, so this is an important way that we get at public safety broadly,” Heinrich said.
