On Sept. 21, construction began on a new veteran's home in Chicago. The facility will offer physical and mental health care to 200 Illinois veterans, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The building, which will be five stories and cost approximately $70.5 million, will be the fifth assisted living home for veterans in the state. The Chicago Sun-Times noted that this will be the first one in the Chicago area, which is home to 60 percent of Illinois' vet population.
The new facility will have over 40 beds dedicated to patients suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia in an effort to boost attention to mental health in life after service, reported the Tribune.
According to the Sun-Times, veterans who served in foreign conflicts and are Illinois natives, as well as peacetime veterans who served for a minimum of one year, are eligible to apply. They will pay for their rooms according to their income.
The home is set to open in 2016, noted the Tribune. It has been in the works since 2009, but due to federal support and other funding obstacles the start of the project was delayed.
The construction was kicked off with a ceremony, during which Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn made a speech, noted the Sun-Times.
"Abraham Lincoln, who came from our state, said during the Civil War that it's the duty of all of us on the homefront to take good care of those who have borne the battle," he said.