Ducey announces two new VA homes in Flagstaff and Yuma
Apr 19, 2018, 4:45 AM
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey’s office announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs approved a construction costs for two new state veteran homes.
The two homes will be located in Flagstaff and Yuma and hold four 16-bed long-term care units and one memory care unit.
The grant will fund 65 percent of construction costs.
“Since 2015, we’ve put Arizona’s veterans first, securing $19.2 million in matching state funds for additional state veteran homes,” Ducey said in a release.
“Now both homes will serve veterans and their families in rural areas and bring new jobs to each city.”
The Arizona Department of Veteran Services will hire 250 new employees to staff the houses to provide 24/7 nursing care for veterans and surviving spouses.
Each home will be about 80,000 square feet, on ten acres of land donated from each city.
Construction may begin within the next eight to ten months and will take between 18 months to two years to complete.
Ducey wrote a letter in November to then-Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin asking the department to prioritize the construction of the homes.
“The sooner we can secure these dollars, the sooner we can ensure our veterans are repaid for the service they’ve provided for our great nation,” Ducey wrote.