A home for military veterans in Truth or Consequences is receiving a much-needed face-lift.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held recently for new residences at the New Mexico State Veterans' Home. According to KRQE News, the renovations include six new homes that will have 12 private suites, allowing each resident to have their own bedroom, living area and bathroom.
The building is managed by the New Mexico Department of Health and was built in 1936. It has not been updated since the 1980s.
The project has been made possible by $60 million in capital outlay funds secured by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) during the 2022 Legislative session.
“New Mexico is proud to be home to so many veterans who selflessly answered the call of duty, making sacrifices to protect our country and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today,” Grisham said, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. “I am proud to stand here today breaking ground on these state-of-the-art new facilities for New Mexico veterans and their spouses, delivering on a promise I made last year to improve the quality of life for the heroes who live here and ensure that they receive the best care in the highest-quality facilities.”
The State Veterans’ Home main building is in serious need of improvement. A 224-page assessment report completed in 2021 detailed uncapped plumbing lines stuffed with paper towels, restrooms with cracked tiles and little to no handicapped access, vinyl flooring that didn’t meet current Veterans Administration standards, window treatments that were in bad shape and a broken elevator. The roof is also in serious need of repair, walk paths are crumbling and dangerous, and some veterans were forced to share tiny rooms, according to a KRQE report from 2021.
“We are thrilled to be able to upgrade this facility for those who protected our freedom and ensure their needs are met, especially at the most basic level of having a home-like environment,” Acting New Mexico Department of Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said, according to the NMDOH website.
The now-tiny rooms may have seemed large in the 1930s when the building served as a hospital for children with polio. It became the state’s Veterans' Home in the 1980s and currently houses about 80 residents. It was the site of a deadly COVID-19 outbreak during the pandemic, according to KRQE.
Construction on three homes will be completed by the fall of 2023, allowing residents currently living in the main building to relocate. The other three homes will be ready in early 2024.