HAINES HEALTHCARE AND HOUSING PROJECT AWARDED
December 04, 2013
The grants will go to Haines Assisted Living, Inc. (HAL), manager of the project that is constructing a new veterans housing complex and centralized non-profit center to provide wellness services to veterans and the broader community. They were among several awards given last week by Rasmuson to organizations throughout Alaska totaling nearly $10 million. “This award is going to have an enduring impact in Haines,” says HAL President James Studley. “We see Rasmuson’s decision as encouraging endorsement of a project that is helping solve housing and healthcare issues in Haines.” The 20,000 sq. ft. Veterans Village and Wellness Center has been under construction since Spring 2013 and is expected to be complete by Spring 2015. The first floor will hold seven offices for healthcare organizations that serve Southeast Alaska and the second floor has 11 housing units for veterans and their families. It is phase III of a $13 million project managed by HAL that includes an assisted living facility and independent senior housing apartments in Haines. The health groups that helped design the new building and will occupy its the ground floor are Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) physical therapy, Southeast Alaska Independent Living (SAIL), Lynn Canal Counseling Services (LCCS), Hospice of Haines, Community and Veterans Organization (CAVO), Cornerstone Home Care and Haines Assisted Living, Inc. (HAL). The State of Alaska approved $6.1 million in 2012 for the construction of a building with high energy-efficiency standards and incorporating a management system that ensures self-sufficiency and sustainability with no recurring public subsidies. HAL is raising the remainder of necessary funds through private donations, other grants and community fundraisers. "It takes a multitude of funding sources to make a substantial project like this happen,” says Studley. “We are fortunate to have Rasmuson as a major partner in a project that will improve healthcare for the region and help close the housing gap for veterans.” The grants are part of Rasmuson Foundation’s Tier 2 program, which awards money to projects of strategic importance or innovative nature, or the expansion or start-up of programs that address issues of broad community or statewide significance. The Soboleff-McRae Veterans Village and Wellness Center facility is named for Tlingit elder Dr. Walter Soboleff and CSM Howard McRae, a decorated military veteran from Haines. It is designed to provide permanent affordable housing and consolidated supportive services to veterans, elders and the greater community. The building site is located one block from Haines’ Main Street, on Dalton Street and Second Avenue. Haines is a Southeast Alaska community with a population of 2,508 residents and an estimated 397 veterans. Haines has and is projected to continue to have a larger percentage of veterans among its residents than many other communities in the region and state. According to a Juneau Economic Development Council feasibility study, by 2025, the veteran population in Haines will have increased by 28% to 449 persons and 70% of its veterans will be 65 or older.
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