A $164 million federal grant will go toward construction of a new Holyoke Veterans' Home in western Massachusetts, a $482.6 million project that when complete in 2028 will provide long-term care for 234 veterans.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded the sum as part of a promised $263.5 million to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services for the construction of the new facility.
Newly appointed Massachusetts Veterans' Services Secretary Jon Santiago welcomed the VA grant through its State Home Construction Grant Program, the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton reported May 7.
"We firmly believe that our veterans in Massachusetts deserve the best possible care and support," Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. "By investing in the reconstruction of the Holyoke Veterans' Home, we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to ensuring that they receive the respect and support they rightfully deserve."
Formerly known as the Soldiers' Home before being renamed this year, the site became a focus of controversy in 2020 after more than 70 veterans died there in one of the nation's deadliest COVID outbreaks.
After Many Renovations, New Building On Horizon
Following its conditional award last year, the Executive Office of Veterans' Services completed the necessary final steps to ensure compliance and receive grant funding. The project includes 234 long-term care beds, nursing support and community spaces.
The existing 227,915-sq.-ft. building opened in 1952 off Cherry Street on the hilltop of a 16.6-acre property in Holyoke, northeast of Springfield. The facility was expanded with several additions in the 1970s.
Over its lifetime, it has seen several interior upgrades and renovations as well, the Northampton news source noted. The current facility has many triple and quadruple-bed rooms and no private baths. There also is a small outpatient clinic within the building that is not part of the long-term care facility.
The new building's 350,000-sq.-ft. design is based on the VA's small house model and includes gardens, physical therapy facilities, a dental suite, hair salon, dining and social spaces, according to a grant application the state submitted to the VA in April 2021.
Each resident floor of the proposed new building is designed with two to three homes per level, typically with 12 beds per home, accommodating a maximum of 36 veterans per floor. Most rooms are single occupancy with private baths, but one room in each home is larger than a standard room so that it can function as a double, a couple's room or a bariatric room. Each home also has a private den to provide residents and families with a quiet space.
In lieu of providing a separate living and dining facility for each home, one central space with multiple nodes for living, dining and activity functions is provided on each floor. This allows for a variety of adaptable spaces to engage the veterans throughout the day with various activities.
The existing facility will remain operational while a new facility is built next to it, and once residents are moved to the new location, the old building will be demolished, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. None of the veterans currently in long-term care will be displaced by the construction of the replacement facility.
"Today's announcement has been a long time in the making and is an important step towards making a new Holyoke Veterans' Home a reality," state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, and chair of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "This process started back in the spring of 2021 with the passage of the [Massachusetts] Legislature's bond bill, and it is truly exciting to see this federal funding come to fruition."
Facility to Welcome All Former Service Members
After the $400 million bond bill was approved, the state was able to apply for the VA construction grant program and received conditional approval last year.
The project coincides with the establishment of the new Executive Office of Veterans' Services by the Healey-Driscoll administration in March.
"The Holyoke Veterans' Home reconstruction project signifies the deep gratitude and respect we owe to our veterans and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to their well-being," Santiago said in a statement.
The Veterans' Home has entered a memorandum of agreement with the VA, committing $263.5 million in federal funds. The $164 million grant represents the first year's funding, with the rest to be paid out in future fiscal years. The remaining $136.5 million for the project will come from the state.
Velis' spokesperson, Gabriel Adams-Keane, said the Holyoke Soldiers' Home changed its name to the Holyoke Veterans' Home on March 1 to reflect that not only Army soldiers, but members of the Air Force, Navy and other branches of the military also seek out the facility's services.
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