The recent unveiling of three new veterans homes in Minnesota could set a new standard for small-home model design of veterans’ homes in the future.
The completion and dedication of the new facilities, located in the communities of Montevideo, Preston and Bemidji, marks the first time three major homes have been built simultaneously, setting a new standard for veteran care facilities nationwide, according to Wold Architects and Engineers, the project’s lead architects.
The three new homes will allow Minnesota to serve almost 200 more veterans who are in need of skilled nursing care.
They also aim to help mitigate the kinds of living conditions that led to major COVID-19 outbreaks at vets’ homes nationwide. Several studies have shown that models such as the Green House were safer for residents during the pandemic.
Sara Malin, a principal with Wold Architects and Engineers, which led the design of the new veterans homes along with Perkins Eastman, told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News that new facilities follow the VA’s small-house guide, which seeks to break down the design of veterans homes into smaller scale, more homelike environments.
The Montevideo and Bemidji facilities have a total of 72 units each, while the Preston facility has 54. Each campus is arranged with households for 18 residents, which are connected to a “town center” area in the middle of the campus for larger events. All homes feature areas for therapy, dining, wellness and gathering for residents, staff and visitors.
“The aesthetics were based on meetings with local veterans and how they wanted their buildings to feel, what they felt was appropriate for the community,” Malin said.
Each individual unit is private and includes private bathrooms, settings designed to enhance the quality of life for the veterans and provide a more homelike atmosphere.
“We want them to feel at home,” Malin explained. “We want to feel as close to residential as possible.”
While the Department of Veterans Affairs has no immediate plans to build additional veterans housing in the near future, the same design concepts could be potentially incorporated into other veteran or senior housing. “It would be a good model for other homes,” Malin said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs began admitting the first residents to the new veterans homes in January and February. Formal dedication ceremonies were held at the facilities in May and June.
