Rally to be held for Monterey Bay Home
Wednesday at Veteran's Transition Center
MARINA >> The Monterey County Military and Veterans Affairs Office will be holding a rally Wednesday in support of a proposed Monterey Bay Veterans Home which would serve aging, disabled, and homeless veterans and spouses on the Central Coast.
“We're asking the veteran community, their loved ones and those who support veterans, and anyone frankly who believes that our veterans deserve better long-term health care and housing options, to make their voice heard,” said Jack Murphy, Military and Veterans Affairs Office management analyst. “We're asking folks to come out and rally with us.”
The rally will begin at 11 a.m., at the Veterans Transition Center in Marina, 220 12th Street.
“Although such a veterans home will be owned and operated by the California Department of Veterans Affairs, there is a provision under federal, Title 38 U.S.C §§ 8131-8138, that allows the federal government to help finance a significant amount of the construction of this type of project once the state has secured its share of funding,” said Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, in an email. “As the Federal Representative for the Central Coast and its many veterans and their families, I look forward to playing my part by fighting for that type of funding to ensure that this type of project gets built in our community for those who served our country.”
There is a 60% reimbursement for construction costs from the federal government for a project like this, and the state has funds and provides money for needed projects, but legislators are a very important part of funding a project, said Murphy.
California has more than 1.6 million veterans, more than any other state, with about 20,000 in Monterey County, and an estimated 175 of those experiencing homelessness.
“The California Department of Veterans Affairs operates eight veterans homes across the state, however there's not one that's close by,” said Murphy. “The closest one is in Fresno, about a three-hour drive, and it has a multi-year waiting list.”
The veterans homes in California include the oldest in the state, Yountville, with 906 beds and founded in 1884, Barstow with 220 beds and established in 1996, Chula Vista with 305 starting in 2000, Lancaster with 60 beginning in 2009, Ventura with 60 beds opening in 2009, West Los Angeles with 396 starting in 2010, Fresno with 300 opening in 2013, and Redding with 150 beds established in 2013, for a total of 2,397 beds.
“We'll be asking our state legislators
to support and introduce a bill to add an additional veterans home here in Monterey County, a facility that provides better long-term health care and housing options for our veterans,” said Murphy.
The Military and Veterans Affairs Office vision for a veterans home has broad support including former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Zoe Lofgren and Salud Carbajal, State Senator John Laird, and Assemblyman Robert Rivas, and leaders of the adjacent counties to Monterey County, among many others, said Murphy.
“A state-owned and operated veterans home on the Central Coast would be a welcome and appropriate cornerstone for an area that is so full and rich with veterans and their families. After serving our country, many veterans purposefully chose to return or stay here and contribute to the economy and culture
of our community,” said Rep. Panetta. “A veterans home would allow many of them to remain here and continue to access the expansive services that we provide through our many military installations and existing resources for veterans. In particular, this type of facility for the region would expand the necessary health care services and provide housing solutions for some of
our most vulnerable veterans.”
The scale, scope and location of a proposed veterans home has not been determined, Murphy said, and the Monterey County Military and Veterans Affairs Office wants legislators to work with CalVet to determine the needs of veterans here on the Central Coast. He said veterans homes in California currently offer services ranging from independent living programs with minimal support, to assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care programs.
“Some offer all four and some only one service,” said Murphy.
It would be up to CalVet and legislators to have a better look at the problem and recommend what is best. The last veterans homes were built nearly 20 years ago and all have waiting lists, he said. Adding a new veterans home on the Central Coast would provide permanent housing for veterans.
“This is important because our veterans earned it and deserve it,” said Murphy.