FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) – The only state-owned military veterans’ home within 80 miles of Fort Liberty has officially closed its doors.
“I hate to see this home leave here. We come here during the holidays. We bring gifts to veterans who have no one else,” Democratic State Senator Val Applewhite from Cumberland County said.
The North Carolina State Veterans Home in Fayetteville moved its last resident on Wednesday evening. North Carolina Department of Military & Veteran Affairs decided to close it in November 2023. The 85 residents were given 60 days to move out.
“We need to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” the state senator said.
The facility sits in a valley downhill from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville. Over the years, it has absorbed water from rain and flooding, causing structural damage.
“We do know it’s not far from the Cape Fear River. We do know that the location takes on runoff from the VA hospital and what the inspection showed was the water was not just coming from the roof, it was underneath the facility,” Sen. Applewhite said.