MINNEAPOLIS 鈥� Gov. Tim Walz visited the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis on Monday, Nov. 11, to mark the Veterans Day holiday and thank fellow veterans.
Less than a week after election night, Walz鈥檚 visit to the Veteran鈥檚 Home was one of his first public appearances as governor since being back in Minnesota post-campaign trail. Walz, who was among several speakers at the veterans home, highlighted recent statewide efforts to support veterans.
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鈥淭here is no politics involved in the care of veterans, and these legislators in Minnesota prove that,鈥� Walz said.
In 2024, Minnesota became the first state to open three veterans homes simultaneously. The new homes 鈥� located in Bemidji, Preston and Montevideo 鈥� add to Minnesota鈥檚 existing homes in Fergus Falls, Hastings, Luverne, Minneapolis and Silver Bay.
These eight homes provide housing and health care to the nearly 300,000 veterans who call Minnesota home.
Walz also talked about efforts to end veteran homelessness in Minnesota, highlighting of 鈥渇unctionally ending鈥� veteran homelessness in the county, making it the ninth of 10 regions in Minnesota to do so.
Ramsey County is the only remaining region to declare success in efforts to combat veteran homelessness. If Ramsey County meets its goal, Minnesota would be the fourth state to 鈥渇unctionally end鈥� veteran homelessness.
Effectively ending veteran homelessness doesn鈥檛 mean that those regions have no homeless veterans, but now have the resources to properly assist all of its homeless veterans, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs.
Minnesota has other existing veteran protections under state law, such as .
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Walz is a veteran himself; he retired in 2005 to run for Congress after 24 years of service in the Army National Guard since his enlistment at 17. Walz said he likes that Veterans Day follows Election Day, and said he feels a responsibility to ensure President-elect Donald Trump is successful in helping veterans.
鈥淚t feels like a time to understand who gave us the right to live in a free democracy, who gave us the right to cast those votes and who are expecting us to live up in honor after we come out of an election,鈥� Walz said.
Walz also thanked the state Legislature and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs for their efforts in aiding veterans.
鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 get patted on the back to do the right thing, and the right thing is to keep your promises to our veterans and honor their service,鈥� he said.
The Trust Project
