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Construction milestone met of new Detroit Fisher House for veterans

By Camille Amiri
Published  February 20, 2024 7:31pm EST
Detroit
FOX 2 Detroit

New Fisher House is coming to Detroit to help veterans and their families

The Fisher House in Detroit is located on Woodward in the New Center Area with 20 private family suites — it will be one of the largest Fisher houses in the country.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A new Veterans Assistance Fisher House is coming to the City of Detroit, and there was a special ceremony Tuesday -- celebrating the construction milestone.

"We’ve got the most beautiful February day on record to celebrate this construction milestone," said Kate Melcher, executive director for Fisher House of Michigan.

It is scheduled to open this fall, the Fisher House will be a home away from home for veterans’ families.

"We believe it’s our duty to provide an environment where families can focus solely on healing free of financial worry or finding a safe place to stay in an unfamiliar city while a loved one is receiving medical care," said David Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation.

There are Fisher Houses all over the country and one in Ann Arbor opened in 2020.

"What a veteran needs more than anything is family members near and sometimes we don’t realize people don’t have the money for transportation or food," said US Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor).

Sharon Lewinski stayed at a Fisher House when her son, Michael, was receiving cancer treatment in Maryland.

"The main thing that helped me and my support is I was with families going through similar things I was going through," she said. "My son had cancer. And others were there for different reasons but we were all going through a tragedy."

The Fisher House in Detroit is located on Woodward in the New Center Area with 20 private family suites — it will be one of the largest Fisher houses in the country.

"This house will serve as a tangible symbol of our support, our love and respect for those who have selflessly served our country," Coker said.

For Congresswoman Debbie Dingell it was also a special occasion.

"I was very proud to get the Ann Arbor one - this has been my dream for longer than you can (imagine), and it’s a reality, we’re making it a reality," she said.

"We had to travel 500 miles each way to see him," Lewinski said. "Now I would only have to travel like 10 miles. A big dream, it’s true, it’s here."