A years-long effort to replace Fayetteville's shuttered state veterans home cleared a major hurdle this week, as Congress passed a bill transferring roughly 20 acres of Fort Bragg land to North Carolina so the state can build a new facility. The measure now heads to the president's desk after passing the U.S. House and Senate on Tuesday, setting up what officials describe as the strongest path forward for the 85 veterans displaced by the closure.
Gov. Josh Stein announced the development in a post on X from the account @nc_governor
, writing that the state budget he signed this summer provided funding for a new veterans home in Fayetteville and that the land-transfer bill was now on its way to the president. According to
cbs17.com
, the U.S. Senate voted to transfer about 20 acres of Fort Bragg land to North Carolina, advancing plans for the project.
The push to rebuild stems from a painful closure. The former North Carolina State Veterans Home in Fayetteville shut down in 2024 after years of rain and flooding caused structural damage, the station reports, displacing 85 veterans who had called the facility home. The site's condition had deteriorated to the point that state officials ultimately concluded repair wasn't the answer.
A New Site Takes Shape Near Fort Bragg
The bill cleared the House before moving to the Senate, according to the Fayetteville Observer, which reported the legislation was sponsored by Fort Bragg's congressman to transfer federal land in Harnett County to the state for a replacement facility. WUNC, however, has described the parcel as sitting in Hoke County, while the bill identifies the 20-acre Parcel 3B in Harnett County. What's clear across both accounts is that the tract totals roughly 20 acres of federal land freed up specifically for the state's use.
North Carolina's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has framed the new build as its strongest long-term option. The agency determined that the strongest long-term option for our veterans is to build a new safe and modernized facility, per WUNC. That assessment favored a new facility over patching up or reopening the original site.
Funding Figures and Bed Counts Still Coming Into Focus
Money for the project began moving earlier this year. Gov. Stein signed Senate Bill 257, the state's first full budget in more than two years, on July 7, and it delivered funding for a new veterans home, according to CityView. The station's report on the broader project puts the state legislature's commitment at $40 million toward construction costs.
The total price tag is expected to run well past that figure. The project is expected to cost more than $100 million, with a federal grant potentially covering up to 65% of the cost, the same account notes. Planners anticipate the replacement home will land somewhere between 100 and 150 beds, compared with the 150 beds the old Fayetteville facility once offered.
What the Federal Bill Actually Authorizes
The underlying legislation, H.R. 10159, authorizes the Secretary of the Army to convey a specific parcel of Fort Bragg real property to North Carolina so the state can construct a veterans' home, according to bill-status records from govinfo.gov. It passed both chambers of Congress this week before heading to the president.
Gov. Stein credited Rep. Richard Hudson, Sen. Ted Budd and North Carolina's entire congressional delegation, along with Fort Bragg itself, for pushing the transfer across the finish line. The North Carolina Division of Military and Veterans Affairs echoed that gratitude, thanking the same group of federal partners for their role in securing the project. Neither the final design, a construction start date, nor an operator for the new home has been determined yet, leaving veterans who were displaced in 2024 still waiting for a firm timeline on when they might have a permanent facility to call their own again.
