Private donation helps Post Falls veterans home buy accessible bus

A $50,000 donation from Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty pushed the North Idaho State Veterans Home in Post Falls over the finish line on a wheelchair-accessible bus that residents have needed for everyday mobility. The fundraising effort had nearly reached $200,000, with about $80,000 coming from community donations before the corporate gift and the Idaho Veterans Assistance League covered the remaining balance.

The bus is headed first to the Idaho Division of Veterans Services in Boise for final completion, then is expected to arrive in Post Falls next week. When it does, it will give residents of the 64-bed skilled nursing facility at 590 S. Pleasant View Road a safer way to leave the building for medical appointments, community outings and social events. Len Crosby, the league’s treasurer, said the bus is a core part of what the organization does.

The new mini-bus will include a ramp, allowing veterans in wheelchairs to board and deboard without a hoist. It will also carry racks for walkers and oxygen tanks, a practical upgrade in a home where about 70 percent of residents are disabled or have mobility issues. For those veterans, transportation is not a side benefit. It is part of whether they can keep appointments, attend activities and move through daily life with some independence.

The purchase also shows how the Post Falls home is still building out its operations after its dedication on Nov. 11, 2022. Idaho’s Division of Veterans Services operates four veterans homes, in Boise, Lewiston, Pocatello and Post Falls, and the North Idaho home is laid out with four household wings, two dedicated dining areas, kitchens shared by two households and multiple outdoor patio and sitting areas. In that setting, the bus is more than equipment. It is a link between a county facility and the community its residents served, turning private donations and public service into a working transport solution for Kootenai County veterans.