Michael Salter drew laughs when he spoke of the early 2000s and reminded the crowd of the first iPhone and the Red Sox’s 2007 World Series win. 

But then, the mood turned somber. Salter reminded the room full of nonprofit workers, politicians and veterans of darker moments from two decades ago, like that alarming rates of suicide among veterans and members of the military members. Many veterans suffered from PTSD and waited months for healthcare appointments. 

“But that’s history,” said Salter, a veteran and the founder of Veterans Count, a program of Easterseals. “What’s the future?” 

On Tuesday, Easterseals unveiled its plans for a 15-acre campus in Franklin for veterans and military members, paid for with $23 million in COVID relief funding from the state and designed by the architecture and construction firm PROCON. Salter was among the veterans who gave input on the project. 

The first phase of the project, slated to be completed mid-2024, will include 30 units of accessible, affordable housing, a hub for military service providers, a retreat center with meeting and event spaces and a makers space. The Franklin property abuts the Merrimack River and a rail trail, providing ample opportunity for walking, biking, kayaking and fishing. 

In the second phase, there will be spaces for equine and canine therapy and other therapeutic recreation activities. 

“We want to get people of all abilities to be able to engage in some sort of physical activity that also works on mental health,” said Michele Talwani, senior vice president of community relations at Easterseals.

Easterseals has long provided services for veterans and military members, including counseling, child care and disability services. With the campus, the organization aims to create a well-rounded experience to support their physical and mental well-being.  

“There’s nothing like this in New Hampshire,” said Talwani. “We’ve got housing, we’ve got services, we’ve got therapeutic and recreational opportunities, space to hold events – it’ll be a true sense of community. That’ll be the feel of the campus.” 

Talk of the campus began years ago, but the project didn’t begin until Governor Chris Sununu mentioned it in his 2022 State of the State address.

“Like never before, New Hampshire is going to be able to create the gold standard in the health and wellness of America’s heroes,” Sununu said in the address. 

Sununu attended the unveiling Tuesday and spoke of his commitment to addressing the individual needs of veterans and military members. 

“You don’t know the need of an individual veteran given their economic status, given where they might live, what their job status might be, what services they’ve had, the successes or failures that they’ve experienced in the system before,” he said. “We’re not creating a system and asking folks to fit into our system. We’re creating a system that creates wraparound services around that individual.” 

John Stebbins, managing director of PROCON, said the project is “designed for veterans, by veterans.” Six PROCON employees are veterans or active service members, and two are leading the Franklin campus project. “We’ll do whatever it takes to meet the critical needs of servicemembers, veterans and their families,” he said. 

Talwani agreed. “Being able to offer such a wide variety of services to the people who have served our country or continue to serve our country and their families in such a respectful way… we’re just so proud of that,” she said after the press conference. “This is pretty incredible for the state of New Hampshire.” 

PROCON will break ground on September 20 and hopes to house veterans and service members on the campus by September 2024. 

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