Those who served get new shelter, services
Hundreds of homeless Boston veterans will get new beds, apartments and services, thanks to a massive two-year construction and renovation project at the New England Center and Home for Veterans completed yesterday.
“It’s a strong symbol that we will never let our struggling veterans go unnoticed,” Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh told a crowd packed into the downtown Boston building for the ribbon-cutting of the renovated facility dedicated to helping end chronic veterans’ homelessness in the city.
“We will never forget their needs,” the mayor said, “and we will never forget their service.”
More than 1,600 veterans receive regular services from the center, and 250 reside there every night, Walsh said, pointing out the facility “did not lose one night or one service” during the two years of construction.
The completed project includes 37 new and 60 renovated permanent housing units for veterans, 180 new beds for transitional veterans’ housing, and more than 65,000 feet of new space for services, including education and employment, health and wellness and clinical and social support.
“This project is more needed than ever,” said U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, who recently made his 18th trip to Iraq since 2002 and met a Marine serving his 9th tour of duty.
“The normal pace for (a) young solder and Marine is the battlefield,” Lynch said, “so we have seen tremendous difficulty in transitioning our young men and women home from the battlefield.”
Gov. Charlie Baker called the center “our opportunity to answer the call for those who answered the call for us.”