Quick facts about Tucson Veterans’ Home

by Adnan Alam

By Cronkite News Service

Here are quick facts about the Tucson Veterans’ Home:

_ Construction Cost: $28.5 million, with the state committing $10 million to meet a federal requirement that it cover 35 percent. The federal government picks up the rest.

_ Need: Supporters say having one state veterans home in Phoenix leaves southern Arizona’s growing population of veterans _ an estimated 100,000 of them in the Tucson metropolitan area alone _ underserved.

_ Boost: Money in the federal stimulus helped move the project forward.

_ Plan: A 120-bed facility on donated land next to the federal veterans hospital in Tucson.

_ Status: A legislative committee on Tuesday approved spending money already committed in the general fund, noting that the facility also will require at least $5 million to help cover operating costs until it become self-sufficient.

_ Groundbreaking: Tentatively set for February 2010.

_ Completion: Construction is expected to take 16 to 20 months.