ORLANDO, Fla. – Veteran Affairs officials found an apparently unexpected guest at the new VA Medical Center in Lake Nona -- a homeless veteran staying in an unoccupied part of the center.
A VA spokesperson said they are now investigating.
The multimillion-dollar facility is opening in phases, with most inpatient services not opening until October. But Local 6 has learned a homeless veteran was found Thursday living in an unoccupied inpatient room.
VA spokesperson Heather Frebe isn't saying how long the homeless veteran had been living there, but a source told Local 6 it may have been up to two weeks.
"I'm just shocked by hearing this," a veteran who lives in another part of the campus told Local 6. "If he did have his own room, who else could have come in?"
Local 6 saw different levels of security at the site. Local 6 spotted camera after camera, along with security personnel and VA police in their squad cars.
Frebe sent Local 6 this statement:
"Yesterday (Thursday) we encountered a veteran who stated he had been living in the unoccupied bed tower. We immediately insured the patient was cared for and our team is working to house the veteran. We are currently investigating the statement made by the patient."