Greensboro plans for first medical respite center for veterans and unhoused residents

A medical respite center for veterans and people without housing is coming to the city of Greensboro.

The Servant Center is a Greensboro nonprofit that helps homeless and disabled individuals as well as veterans become independent. The organization recently acquired the Holden Heights building on Boulevard Street for its new medical respite center.

Executive Director Shanna Reece says the number of seniors and people who are disabled who have become homeless and are in need of specialized care has significantly increased in recent years.

"They go into Cone Hospital or another hospital system and really don't have anywhere to go and really cannot heal from surgeries or whatever it is that they're going through safely in shelter or on the street," Reece says. "So this is a program that will be made for those folks."

The four-story facility will feature 22 dedicated beds for relief and recovery from illness or injury. It also includes 21 single-occupancy rooms for veterans transitioning out of homelessness.

According to a news release, this will be the first location of its kind in Greensboro.