Over the past year, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) has publicized the groundbreaking and ongoing construction of our three new State Veterans Homes in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston. However, equally important is the maintenance and updates to our /mdva/homes/index.jspfive existing Veterans Homes. And no where is that more critical than the /mdva/homes/hastings/index.jspHastings Veterans Home.

While MDVA has operated the Veterans Home there for more than 40 years, the buildings’ origins date back to 1902 when the site served as a state hospital for the mentally ill. Over the course of 100 years, more than a dozen separate buildings were constructed on the campus, and numerous renovations and updates have been completed. However, of the nine buildings on the campus, six are at or near the end of their useful life.

The time has come for a complete upgrade to the Hastings Veterans Home. A recently completed campus capital improvement study concluded that due to the numerous building deficiencies, investing in building renovations is not a good use of funds. While we are proud of the care, services and support we provide to the Veteran Residents living here, we know we can do better for them by completely upgrading this campus.

The Hastings Veterans Home is the main location for our /mdva/assets/2022-01-27-mdva-doms-flier_tcm1066-517019.pdfDomiciliary Program with 115 Residents; another 34 Veterans reside at a second location on the campus of the Minneapolis Veterans Home. At Hastings, the DOMS program space is spread among three separate buildings with a public road separating more than 30 Veterans’ living quarters from their dining, nursing, support services and recreational activities. Rooms are double occupancy with communal bathrooms down the hall. Physical security is difficult to establish and maintain.

On April 14, I had the opportunity to provide a tour of the Hastings Veterans Home to Governor Tim Walz, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, State Sen. Karla Bigham, State Rep. Tony Jurgens, Hastings Mayor Mary Fasbender and Dakota County Commissioner Mike Slavik. They saw firsthand the many improvements required to provide both an updated physical environment and an enhanced quality of life.

Hastings Veterans Home Resident Tom Fayer spoke to the group. He said that he had surveyed his fellow Residents, and all had the same request: a private room and private bathroom. I think that is the least we can do, providing privacy and dignity to those who raised a hand to defend our country.

MDVA would seek 65% of the cost of this project from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs State Home Construction Grant Program. However, those dollars are predicated on securing State funding for 35% of the project.

We encourage the Minnesota Legislature to support this important investment during this current session to allow us to move forward as soon as possible on this multi-year project to benefit our Veteran Residents. This project will be highlighted at the Veterans Day on the Hill event on April 20. I hope you will join us for this important event. More details are on our website.

As always, if you need information or support on any Veteran issue, please visit our website, contact your County Veterans Service Officer, or contact LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet.

Thank YOU for your service!