HOLYOKE — A $164 million federal grant announced this week will go toward construction of a new Holyoke Veterans’ Home, a $482.6 million project that when complete in 2028 will provide long-term care for 234 veterans.

Veterans’ Services Secretary Jon Santiago announced the Department of Veterans Affairs grant through its state home construction grant program.

“We firmly believe that our veterans in Massachusetts deserve the best possible care and support,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “By investing in the reconstruction of the Holyoke Veterans’ Home, we demonstrate our unwavering commitment to ensuring that they receive the respect and support they rightfully deserve.”

The former Soldiers’ Home was renamed this year. It became a focus of controversy in 2020 after more than 70 veterans died there in one of the nation’s deadliest COVID outbreaks. The home’s former superintendent and medical director have been indicted on charges of criminal negligence in relation to the tragedy.

After receiving a conditional award last year, the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services completed the necessary final steps to ensure compliance and receive grant funding. The project includes 234 long-term care beds, nursing support and community spaces.

The existing 227,915-square-foot building opened in 1952 off Cherry Street on the hilltop of a 16.6-acre property. The facility was expanded with several additions in the 1970s. Over its lifetime, it has seen several interior upgrades and renovations. The current facility has many triple and quadruple-bed rooms and no private baths. There is also a small outpatient clinic within the building but not part of the long-term care facility.

The new building’s 350,000-square-foot design is based on the VA’s small house model and includes gardens, physical therapy facilities, a dental suite, hair salon, dining and social spaces, according to a grant application the state submitted to the VA in April of 2021.

Each resident floor of the proposed new building is designed with two to three homes per floor, typically with 12 beds per home, accommodating a maximum of 36 veterans per floor. Most rooms are single occupancy with private baths, but one room in each home is larger than a standard room so that it can function as a double, a couple’s room, or a bariatric room. Each home also has a private den to provide residents and families with a quiet space.

In lieu of providing a separate living and dining facility for each home, one central space with multiple nodes for living, dining, and activity functions is provided on each floor. This allows for a variety of adaptable spaces to engage the veterans throughout the day with various activities.

The existing facility will remain operational while a new facility is built next to it, and once residents are relocated to the new facility, the existing building will be demolished. None of the veterans currently in long-term care will be displaced by the construction of the replacement facility.

“Today’s announcement has been a long time in the making and is an important step towards making a new Holyoke Veterans’ Home a reality,” state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, chairman of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “This process started back in the spring of 2021 with the passage of the Legislature’s bond bill, and it is truly exciting to see this federal funding come to fruition.”

After passage of the $400 million bond bill, the state was able to apply for the VA construction grant program and received conditional approval last year.

The project coincides with the establishment of the new Executive Office of Veterans’ Services by the Healey-Driscoll administration in March.

“The Holyoke Veterans’ Home reconstruction project signifies the deep gratitude and respect we owe to our veterans and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to their well-being,” Santiago said in a statement.

“We appreciate the partnership with the VA,” Holyoke Superintendent Michael Lazo said in a statement. “We are ready and looking forward to the start of construction.”

The Veterans’ Home has entered a memorandum of agreement with the VA, committing $263.5 million in federal funds. The $164 million grant represents the first year’s funding, with the rest to be paid out in future fiscal years. The remaining $136.5 million for the project will come from the state.”

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