SAN ANTONIO – It can be tough for military families to be apart while their loved ones are in the hospital for treatment.
A new Fisher House location will soon give families of veterans a helping hand.
Groundbreaking for the South Texas VA Fisher House took place on Monday morning.
"The house will provide a home-away-from-home for 16 families where they can rally around their loved ones," said Dave Coker, Fisher House Foundation president.
The 15,000-square-foot home will be built in a field on the grounds of the Audie Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital.
It will be the eighth Fisher House in San Antonio.
Coker said the new location was much needed following the recent opening of a Level 1 polytrauma center.
Military families will stay for free while their loved ones are undergoing treatment.
"They can focus on the healing process without worrying abut the cost and burden of finding a place to stay in San Antonio," said Coker.
Organizers said the cost to build is $6 million, which was funded by private donations.
Retired Staff Sgt. Shiloh Harris is a big supporter of the Fisher House mission.
"I was real fortunate that my family was from Texas, but not everybody has that opportunity," said Harris. "The expenses of travel and all that weighs on you and it weighs on the family. I think it's extremely important to the recovery process to have the family close by and to know that they're there for that moral support."
Coker said construction will be well underway within a month and the goal is to have the Fisher House complete and ready for families by the end of the year.