LANSING, Mich. –
The Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids (MVHGR) held an open house for local leaders, veteran service organizations, community members and the media at the newly-constructed Home on July 22. Construction of the new Home began in April 2019 and funding for the project came from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs State Home Construction Grant Program, which contributed $40.9 million, and the state of Michigan, which covered the remaining $22 million for a total project cost of $62.9 million.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for our community members and veteran service organizations to tour our new Home,” said Tiffany Carr, community engagement coordinator for the Michigan Veteran Homes. “Although our current members and their families have had the opportunity to tour the new Home, we felt that it was important to provide our community partners with the opportunity as well. It was also a great opportunity to meet with those curious about the new Home and provide information about admissions, volunteer opportunities and other ways the community can help support our heroes.”
The 153,000-square-foot Home will serve 128 veterans and dependents in need of skilled nursing care and consists of four unique neighborhood buildings and a community center.
“The new building is designed to provide care in a more ‘home-like’ environment rather than the older more institutional setting that used to exist,” said Carr. “The neighborhood buildings contain private member rooms with ensuite baths and feature shared living and dining spaces.”
The new Home comes with many robust features designed to provide top-notch services and quality care.
The new Home features a dynamic 33,000 square foot community center consisting of therapeutic facilities for behavioral, occupational, physical and group therapy, an exam room, chapel, barbershop and salon, café bistro and gift shop. Residents will also have access to outdoor courtyards which will allow them to observe the natural surroundings the campus has to offer.
Michigan Veteran Homes (MVH) is the entity that provides day-to-day operational oversight of the state’s veteran homes on behalf of the Michigan Veterans Facility Authority (MVFA) and is a branch of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). MVH operates the Michigan Veteran Homes at Grand Rapids (MVHGR), the Michigan Veteran Homes D.J. Jacobetti (MVHDJJ) in Marquette and the new Michigan Veteran Homes at Chesterfield Township (MVHCT). For more information, please visit: https://www.michigan.gov/mvh.