Letter to Editor: Learnings from members of the Veterans Home
Dear Editor,
Since the Yountville Commons presentation on Feb. 17, I have attended every Town Council meeting and, on Aug. 10, became a candidate for Town Council. Since then, I’ve been listening to residents and spoke recently with Veterans Home members. What I heard was deeply troubling.
Yountville’s Veterans Home, established in 1884, is the largest veterans home in the nation. Yet members describe a community where facilities, amenities, access — and even their freedoms — are steadily diminishing.
Consider these issues:
- Members have raised significant concerns about changes to pass and leave policies, financial transparency and maintenance.
- The $268.6 million Skilled Nursing Facility, begun in 2022 and projected to open in 2024 and then 2025, remains unopened.
- Lincoln Theater and historic Armistice Chapel have fallen into disuse and disrepair. The swimming and therapeutic pools are closed.
- Members report leaking roofs, deteriorating sidewalks, and pathways used by scooters and electric wheelchairs are unsafe or not ADA-compliant.
- Facilities closed during COVID remain closed, including Hero’s Café. The Hostess House, once providing affordable accommodations for members’ visitors, was demolished and never replaced.
- The RV park and storage facilities remain closed, eliminating revenue that could support member-run Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs.
- Most recently, an impartial candidate forum inviting all candidates for November’s election was prohibited, although such events were held previously.
- Staffing shortages restrict new home members. Meanwhile, numerous unoccupied buildings and housing that could accommodate caregivers – and dramatically help address Yountville’s affordable/workforce housing problems – are left to deteriorate.
Meanwhile, fewer than 600 veterans live on the stately campus, which once housed approximately 2,000.
Why should Yountville care?
Because these veterans are not simply residents of Yountville’s historic care and retirement community. They are our neighbors. They are men and women who served our country with honor. Now many are older, less mobile and less able to advocate effectively for themselves.
The Town of Yountville does not operate the Veterans Home: CalVet, the state, the VA and others control most decisions. But that does not mean we should look away.
Can the town or council fix the problems at the Veterans Home? Probably not.
Can we ask questions, bring attention and advocate for our neighbors? Absolutely.
When our country needed these men and women, they showed up for us. Now it’s our turn to show up for them.
Let’s be advocates for our Veterans Home members and neighbors. And if necessary, let’s be NOISY advocates. They need it.
Sincerely,
Jill Turner
Jillforyountville.com
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