VA dedicates new housing for veterans
BUTLER TWP — The VA Butler Healthcare dedicated its new 56-bed domiciliary Thursday morning.
Built on the site of the old baseball field, a series of townhomes, some two-story and some one-story, will open the week of Veterans Day in November for veterans with drug and alcohol problems.
The domiciliary’s most important feature is the housing and counseling the Butler VA will be able to offer — for the first time — to female veterans, said Dr. Timothy Burke, Butler VA’s chief of staff.
Pat Corr, behavioral health executive and acting domiciliary chief, said that’s an important part of the program, to be able to provide secured apartments for up to 12 women in the program.
She said each unit is large enough for four veterans with two sharing semi-private bedrooms and bathroom areas, while all four share a kitchen and common area with a television and seating.
Corr said the program will have residents gathering for group and individual therapy, plus classes in finding jobs and how to manage housing. In the evening, recreational programs are held.
In addition to the VA’s programming, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are held on campus or residents can be taken to AA meetings in Butler and Butler Township.
“This type of setting is better (than the previous setting) for the recovery process because it provides access to other veterans, including our Peer Support program involving veterans who have graduated from the substance abuse program and who have become certified counselors themselves,” she said.
Veterans may stay in the program for up to six months with evaluations by the medical and behavioral health staffs every 30 days.
Corr said even when a veteran is ready to move to the next step in the recovery process, the VA remains a resource for all soldiers, whether they need additional counseling for their drug and alcohol abuse or they need a place to live.
“We encourage all our veterans to return for after care support whenever they need it,” Corr said.
