Hundreds of N.C. veterans will soon receive counseling, education, housing and job training with the renovation of a facility located just north of Durham.
State leaders, including Gov. Pat McCrory, say the center will assist the state’s rising number of homeless veterans.
The Veterans Administration Medical Centers in N.C. treated 1,118 homeless veterans in 2009, a number that has been steadily increasing — an estimated 6,000 veterans sought assistance in 2012.
In his first public event as governor, McCrory was the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner on Saturday for the eight-building complex in Butner.
The event was hosted by the Veterans Leadership Council of North Carolina, a nonprofit organization founded by veterans.
The Butner Veterans Life Center Campus will total 237,000 square feet and accommodate 400 homeless veterans. Renovations will cost $6 million.
The center will open its doors in six months and is expected to reach full capacity in 2015.
Jeff Smith, finance director for the council, said Saturday’s event raised an estimated $225,000 from donors.
McCrory discussed his grandfather’s record in World War I and the physical and mental scars of wartime service.