Sarah Craighead Dedmon

News that veteran homes in Machias and Caribou will close later this spring has drawn criticism and pressure from Washington County to Augusta to Washington D.C.

The official announcement that Maine Veterans’ Homes Machias would close on April 15 and Caribou on May 1 came Thursday, Feb. 24, but the news broke unofficially the day before after employees and families spread the word of the closures on social media.

The Machias home currently cares for 23 residents and employs 49 staff members.