BUTNER, NC (JUNE 19, 2017) The Town of Butner has posted a request for proposals for construction of the Veterans Life Center, a 44,000-square-foot facility for 21st century war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress or otherwise having difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. The center is the first of its kind anywhere. The bid was advertised in the News & Observer yesterday (June 18).
Design-Build construction firms have until August 9, 2017 to submit their proposals. The Design Criteria Package may be acquired by contacting David R. Black, AIA, at dblack@hagersmith.com.
Financing for the construction is being provided by a $7.8 million Community Development Block Grant issued by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. The Town of Butner is the grantee, with the Veterans Life Center, which holds a lease from the state on the property, as sub-recipient.
At full capacity, the facility will have approximately 150 beds, mostly in double rooms, with showers and bathroom facilities in each of the four wings. There will be a full commercial kitchen with servery and dining room, plus a large multipurpose room, three day rooms, a library, a computer lab, a conference room, store, dispensary, nurse/first aid room and two laundry rooms as well as various storage and mechanical rooms and office space for a staff of 30 or more. The building will sit on a handsome 9.5-acre site at the corner of 9th and H Streets in Butner.
Case Managers will help residents devise their own individualized plans including services such as: mental fitness/behavioral health therapy; life skills training; family reunification counseling; spiritual counseling; educational advancement and certification; job search assistance; and community integration/post-graduate services. Some services will be provided by Life Center staff, while others will be done through expert providers on or off campus.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs is assisting the Veterans Life Center in planning the program and operations. The opening of the center is anticipated in 2018.
“Our goal is to create the best veterans reintegration facility in the country by implementing an innovative program utilizing and coordinating the outstanding resources available in the Triangle,” said John Turner, Executive Director of the Veterans Life Center.
The Veterans Life Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping troubled and at-risk 21st century military veterans find a constructive and personally satisfying place in civil society. With financial support from state, federal, foundation, corporate and public sources, VLC is building a 150-bed residential facility in Butner, NC through which a battery of therapeutic and counseling services will be made available, both on- and off-site. For more information, visit www.vlcnc-cares.org.