Raleigh, NC – April 20, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) has approved $24.2 million in grants for new North Carolina State Veterans Homes in Kinston and Swannanoa, with funds coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“These grants are vital to providing quality, long-term care services for our growing population of veterans, especially our older veterans,” Perdue said. “We are grateful to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki for recognizing this need and providing the funding necessary to build these two new State Veterans Homes.”
The grants will cover 65 percent of the total costs for both 100-bed facilities. In Swannanoa, the USDVA has approved a $13.5 million grant with Recovery Act funds for the new veterans home. In Kinston, USDVA’s grant using Recovery Act funds totals $10.7 million.
“This is a very big day for North Carolina veterans,” said Charlie Smith, Assistant Secretary for the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs. “These grants allow us to sign contracts and move forward on these projects. We now have sufficient funds to construct both facilities, which should take 18-to-24 months to complete.”
Smith said NCDVA hopes to open both facilities by May 2012.
There are two State Veterans Homes presently in North Carolina, one in Fayetteville and the other in Salisbury. The Kinston and Swannanoa facilities each will provide residential care for up to 100 veterans and will employ 150-170 staff. The N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs is part of the N.C. Department of Administration.
Contact:
Chrissy Pearson
(919) 733-5612
