LONG BEACH, Miss. (WLOX) – Wednesday marks a new beginning for the Long Beach Veterans Home. <\/p>\n
Equal Steps Veterans Home is now under new leadership. <\/p>\n
Before the facility is reopened, new business owners, Robbie and Lisa Dillon, are working to clean out the building. They also plan to rebrand the business to \u2018The Valor House.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to do only 180 on this place, and you\u2019re not even going to be able to recognize it inside or out,\u201d said Dillon. \u201dWe want it to be a place where, if you are related to a veteran, and you\u2019re down on the Gulf Coast area, that you\u2019re going to want to stop by.\u201d<\/p>\n
The previous owner, Velma Perdium-Morris, was evicted after being arrested for bad checks. She did not get her things out of the building within 30 days. As the stuff piled up, the conditions of the rest of the building were subpar, according to Dillon. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a mediocre facility. It was very outdated, lack of care and upkeep,\u201d said Dillon.<\/p>\n
The Dillons spent the day clearing out the building, filling multiple garbage trailers, and giving away a trailer of adult diapers to the American Legion.<\/p>\n
As the reputation of Equal Steps Veterans Home has diminished, Dillon knows it will be an uphill battle to gain trust in the community, but he looks forward to changing the narrative. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re excited to see what we\u2019re going to do. They all know there\u2019s a black eye on the community, but we\u2019re here to take care of that,\u201d Dillon said. \u201dA lot of things have been uncovered lately, and not in a good sense, but we\u2019re here to make it all better, the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dillon family plans to have the veterans home reopened by the end of April. <\/p>\n