Joe Davis, local Bradley County veterans assistant, holds up a map of a piece of land off Westland Drive in Cleveland, Tenn., that members of the Tennessee Veterans Home Board hope will be the future site of a nursing home serving vets all over the Southeast Tennessee area.VETERANS’ HOME IMPACT• Estimated jobs: 260• Labor cost: Estimated $5.5 million annually• Local goods and services purchased: Estimated $8 million annuallySource: Bradley County Office of Veterans Services.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The future veterans home here is not a nursing home, but rather a living center, donors and veterans say.
“It’s not a nursing home,” Korean War veteran Bill Norwood said.
The proposed $23.2 million facility reflects the latest design for veterans homes from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It will be on 28 acres off Westland Drive.
“We want veterans to feel at home,” said Joe Davis, Bradley County veterans services officer and secretary for the Tennessee Veterans Home Board.