To fund design work for a proposed new $146 million Spokane Veterans Home, the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs has requested additional funding from the state Legislature as part of its 2026 supplemental budget.

The veterans home is planned on a 42-acre property located northwest of Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and west of the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex.

The new facility will replace an existing Spokane Veterans Home located at 222 E. Fifth. The future veterans home will provide improved access to health care, updated amenities, and feature more space for residents and outdoor areas. The facility also will include expanded parking, storage, staff areas, larger single rooms for residents, and care spaces.

Design work is contingent upon the Legislature passing nearly $11 million of funding in the 2026 supplemental budget during this year’s legislative session, says Heidi Audette, communications and legislative director at Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. 

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs received $8 million in the state’s 2025-2027 biennial budget, which was used to purchase the land for $7 million in November 2025, Audette says. Project funding includes 65% from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, and 35% from state funding sources, she adds.

An estimated construction timeline is yet to be determined.

A new veterans home is needed because the existing 45,000-square-foot facility has insufficient care spaces, outdoor areas, and no memory care capabilities, according to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Previous work to develop the new residential facility for Spokane's veterans includes a completed a predesign study in October 2024 and the submission of several grant and funding requests to Washington state and the federal government, Audette says.

“We are working with Department of Enterprise Services on getting the design work begun as soon as possible after the (fiscal year 2026) supplemental budget passes,” she says in an email to the Journal. “This will ensure we align our design work with that of the city of Spokane and Spokane School District as they plan improvements to the Dwight Merkel Complex that is adjacent to our land.” 

—Ethan Pack