CHESTERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A new home for veterans is opening in Chesterfield Township.
The ribbon-cutting was held Friday morning for the massive facility. It sits on the site of old barracks for the Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
The facility can house 128 veterans, and in some cases their families. It’s the first and only veterans’ home in Metro Detroit.
It means veterans like Byron “Kip” Brand can finally get the care they need, where they need it. Brand is an injured Air Force veteran. He will be the first veteran moving into the home.
“For me, it’ll give me my independence,” Brand said.
The facility is 152 thousand square feet and has 128 rooms. Jennifer Manning, the building’s administrator, said it was designed so it doesn’t feel like a nursing home.
“The neighborhoods are designed if you’re home -- the furniture, the wall coloring -- your home would have those touches. Create that home-like environment,” Manning said.
There’s also a gift shop, bistro, salon and community rooms. Physical and occupational therapy and more. Up until now, the only other Michigan Veterans homes were in Grand Rapids and Marquette.
“We know the biggest part of our population lives in Southeast Michigan and yet we haven’t had the ability,” Whitmer said. “They need to move from here to Grand Rapids or Marquette. That’s a quality of life issue to be away from family.”
Veterans should be able to start moving into the facility in May. They hope to have the home at full capacity by the end of the year.