Wisconsin News
Wisconsin welcomes second ‘home away from home’ for veteran caregivers
A second ‘home away from home’ is coming to Wisconsin to support families of veterans.
It’s called the Madison VA Fisher House.
“We got a shovel in the ground and we’re getting ready to house up to 16 families every single night there,” said Steven Rose, executive director of Fisher House Wisconsin.
The U.S. Air Force veteran said by this time next year, a Fisher House is expected to open near the Madison Veterans Affairs hospital. Rose said out-of-state veterans typically drive to Madison to seek world-class care, especially for lung, liver and cardiac transplants.
Now, caregivers and families won’t have to think about paying for food, travel or lodging costs during an already stressful time.
“If you look at the basics of VA math, it’s up to $1.1 million in out-of-pocket lodging savings to families traveling to Madison every year,” Rose said.
On WPR’s “Morning Edition,” Rose said for families to qualify, they must travel more than 50 miles to the Madison VA hospital. But, he said, that’s not a hard and fast rule.
“We know there’s family members who don’t drive at night or during inclement weather,” he said. “If you have a veteran who’s going to be receiving care or be hospitalized, ask for an exception to be made.”
More than 303,000 veterans live in Wisconsin, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Rose said that to afford the cost of housing families, Fisher House Wisconsin is privately funded through a partnership with the Fisher House Foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and private donations.
“We gift that house back. It goes on the VA books and then the VA staffs it,” he said.
He said the cost to build and maintain the new Fisher House in Madison is about $13 million.
The Milwaukee VA Fisher House was the 68th of its kind in the nation when it opened in 2016 on the Milwaukee VA Medical Center grounds. To date, it has served 7,300 military and veteran caregivers and provided over 20,000 nights of free lodging.
Today, there are more than 100 Fisher Houses around the world.
“The average length of stay last year was five days, but that doesn’t paint the story of Lottie Speck, who stayed for 191 straight days,” he said. Speck stayed at Fisher House while her husband, U.S. Army veteran Robert Speck, received treatment at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.
Rose said the number of families staying is due to the national success of Wisconsin VA hospitals.
“If a veteran has a spinal cord injury anywhere in the U.S or eastern three quarters, they’re going to get sent to Milwaukee for their initial care,” he said.
Rose added that on any given day, out-of-state license plates from Alabama, New Mexico, Texas and Michigan fill up the parking lot at Milwaukee VA Fisher House.
“We’ve seen more people wanting to get on board and support families and veterans,” he said. “We even held a wedding in the Fisher House this year because life happens for those families.”
Rose said as a veteran himself, he recognizes that time spent in the military can mean doing things alone as you serve. And that’s why he feels veterans deserve a support system in Milwaukee and Madison when they’re receiving medical treatment.
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