Nearly three weeks since the Saint Joseph's Center assisted living facility in Trumbull was evacuated in the middle of the night, residents and staff have begun to return.

"It was great to know that we could come back to our place of employment," Gloria Eye, a licensed practicing nurse at St. Joseph's Center said with a laugh and a smile.

State officials confirm it was a positive test for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease that forced the nearly 200 residents out of the building, with officials scattering them at different facilities around the state.

In the time since then, the staff - especially the nurses and assistants - told News 12 they had no idea when they would be able to get back to work, or even get paid, as their unemployment claims were getting denied.

"(The last few weeks) were pretty rough because we didn't know anything for a time there," said Eye. "So it was nice when we started getting answers."

The light at the end of the tunnel came last Friday, when a spokesperson for the Saint Joseph's Center sent a statement to News 12 saying they had gotten the all clear from the state Department of Public Health to start moving residents back in as soon as the weekend.

It has been a gradual process since, we know at least some of the residents and nursing staff were back inside on Monday, with even more coming back Tuesday.

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"I'm happy that it did turn around and that the employer is doing right by the employees," Eye said.

She says that she and her co-workers have been told they will be working the exact same hours as before the evacuation.

"I love my career that I chose and I'm looking forward to the residents coming back and servicing them," said Eye. "It's our home away from home, and we want to be valued."

Adding to the good news, Eye says she got a notification Monday that her unemployment claims have now been approved, and saw the money from the last few weeks hit her account Tuesday morning.

"I'm just happy that we're going to move forward and put this behind us, and it's a happy ending," she said.

One question to watch will be just how many of the residents actually do move back.

When the evacuation first happened, a lot of family members told News 12 they did like it at the St. Joseph's Center and wanted to be back, but since then, some have changed their minds.