"BLENDED COMMUNITIES" PUT GRANDKIDS TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM GRANDPARENTS
"Blended communities" are being developed throughout the Chicago area so active adults can be only a few blocks away from their grandchildren. The Chicago Tribune cited an example of where two generations of one family are moving together to these developments.
"A blended community has wide appeal to a variety of different families," said Cynthia Kleronomos, vice president at Property Concepts, Inc., the Oswego-based developer of the River Run project where two generations of one family live within four blocks of each other.
Of course, writer Jane Adler said, there’s nothing new about mixing generations in a neighborhood. Established communities have always had housing for different age groups. But she said builders have told her that interest is growing in creating multi-generational communities. Instead of building a development just for young families, housing appropriate for different age groups is included in the master plan. At River Run two entirely different neighborhoods share walking paths and other amenities. Kleronomos said older buyers are able to maintain their privacy, but they can still feel they are part of a larger and vibrant community.
Several of the new multi-generational communities have sections that are actually age-restricted. Residents must be at least 55 years old. No kids are allowed as permanent residents. But Adler said other developments are being built without rules about age. Pulte Homes has three multi-generational developments in the Chicago area. The developments, none of them aged-restricted, offer different types of houses that just naturally appeal to certain age groups, according to Adler.
For more information go to www.chicagotribune.com/.
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HUD ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $604 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
Mel Martinez, secretary of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), announced more than $604 million in housing assistance for the nation’s low-income elderly. He said this means it will be easier for almost 7,600 low-income senior citizens to find affordable, decent and safe places to live.
The assistance from HUD is going to non-profit groups in 43 states and Puerto Rico to create more than 6,000 federally subsidized apartments under HUD’s Section 202 program for senior citizens. In addition to funding construction and rehabilitation projects to create the apartments, the HUD grants will subsidize rents on the apartment for five years to that residents will pay only 30 percent of their incomes as rent.
To be eligible for the assistance a household must be classified as "very low income" which means an income less than 50 percent of the area median. Nationally, this means an income of less than $18,375 a year.
The American Housing Survey for the United States: 1999, the most recent data available, notes that 6.8 million elderly households paid more than they can afford-- defined as more than 30 percent of their income—for housing. Others live in housing that is either substandard or fails to accommodate their physical limitations or needs for assistance. For more information go to www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr01-109.cfm.
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SENIORS MOVED FROM KENTUCKY APARTMENTS WHERE TOXIC MOLD FOUND
Administrators at an apartment complex for low-income seniors have determined that a toxic mold is growing in 10 apartments and are working to move those residents while the mold is removed, the Kentucky Messenger-Inquirer newspaper reported.
Lydia Carrico, a reporter for the paper, said crews will begin ripping out wallboard and checking air-conditioning units, a suspected source of the moisture causing the mold, as soon as the residents are moved to other apartments or with their families.
"Based on the information we have, we are responding the best way we know how," said Jimmy Wilson, housing director at the Friendship House on Kentucky 54. Wilson said he did not know how long the process would take.
Problems with mold in the apartment complex, operated by The Christian Church Homes of Kentucky, began several years ago, the newspaper said. However, the issue came to a head recently after residents’ complaints persuaded administrators to contact independent consulting firms to determine the types and source of molds and how to handle the problem.
Administrators told the newspaper that 10 to 12 types of mold were found in the apartments, and one type, a black mold, is toxic. Residents are being moved from the apartments where black mold was found, Carricco reported.
For more information go to www.messenger-inquirer.com/.
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NAHB RESEARCH CENTER PLANS TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES
With the start of construction on the first of four MADE homes in the NAHB Research Home Park in Bowie, Maryland, the NAHB Research Center has begun an interesting experiment to build affordable homes with a special emphasis on efficiency and durability.
MADE is an acronym for Marketable, Affordable, Durable, Entry-Level. The homes average 1,700 square feet and have open living areas to cut square footage wasted in hallways.
Though simple to start, the houses' plans allow them to expand as a family's needs change. For example, the two ground-floor bedrooms are designed to be easy to convert to a home office. The basement mechanical system is placed so that it won't complicate the owners' plans to finish the space, and there's roughed-in plumbing for future bathrooms. In addition, one of the homes has been specifically designed for older adults who wish to age in place. For more information, visit http://www.nahbrc.org.
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FLEETWOOD HOMES INTRODUCES MANUFACTURED UNIT WITH UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Fleetwood Homes, a leading producer and retailer of manufactured housing, has launched the LifeStages II Home, which specifically includes universal design features to accommodate homeowners’ changing lifestyles. Wes Chancey, Fleetwood’s vice president of sales, said his company worked closely with AARP to include the universal design features that meet the growing needs of today’s homeowners.
Some specific universal design features include:
- Wider doorways and hallways for easy access
- Lever door handles that take the place of doorknobs to make opening and closing doors more manageable
- Single-lever controls on kitchen and lavatory faucets for easier operation and adjustment of water temperatures
- Light switches and electric outlets that are easier to reach
- Accessible storage areas with varying height closet rods and shelves
- Knee space under sinks and counters
- Low maintenance materials and appliances
Leon Harper, AARP’s senior housing specialist, said "A key element to universal design is that it allows for people to remain living in their homes for long periods of time with attractive, comfortable and adaptable features that enhance the independence of all residents regardless of age, size or ability."
For more information go to http://www.fleetwoodhomes.com/.
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FANNIE MAE PARTNER IN 33 AFFORDABLE HOUSES FOR SENIORS IN WINTER PARK, FLORIDA
Central Florida housing leaders and Fannie Mae, said to be the largest non-bank financial services company in the world, celebrated recently the grand opening of 33 units of new affordable housing targeted for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. The new projects, Winter Park Oaks Phase II is scattered within the existing 96-unit Winter Park Oaks development, which is owned and managed by the City of Winter Park Housing Authority.
Partners in the development of Winter Park Oaks Phase II include Florida Community Partners, (FCP) Inc., the Winter Park Housing Authority, Orange County, Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, the city of Winter Park, Florida Power, and Fannie Mae.
Development costs for Winter Park Oaks Phase II totaled approximately $2.3 million. Fannie Mae invested $1.4 million through the Community Development Financial Institutions Initiative in a line of credit for FCP, which was used for construction financing for Phase II. To date, Fannie Mae has committed $6.1 million in investments to FCP to help support the development of affordable rental properties in the area. The Orange County Housing and Community Development Division provided $800,000 in additional funding for construction of Phase II.
FCP is a 19-member lending consortium with a loan pool of more than $50 million. Since its inception, FCP has funded or committed to loans totaling $65 million, which have been leveraged with over $379 million in public funds to create affordable homeownership or rental opportunities for 7428 families.
For more information go to http://www.volunteersofamerica.org/xq/CFM/content_item_id.1607/folder_id.108/qx/tier3_cd.cfm.
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VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA DEDICATE SENIOR APARTMENTS IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
Volunteers of America recently dedicated Laurel Gardens, a new senior housing facility with 50 one-bedroom apartments, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Seven of the apartments meet federal accessibility requirements.
The project received funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of Colorado Springs, El Paso County Housing Authority, and the state of Colorado Division of Housing.
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, spiritually-based organization, and is one of the nation’s largest providers of affordable housing for families, the elderly and people with disabilities. The organization operates about 200 housing and 21 health care facilities. For more information go to http://www.voa.org/.
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THE SALVATION ARMY WILL BUILD 50 LOW-INCOME UNITS FOR SENIORS IN MISSOULA, MONTANA
The Salvation Army in Missoula, Montana will build 50 apartments for low-income seniors with $4.6 million it will soon receive from the federal government, the local newspaper reported. The project had been in the works for two years. The first bid the nonprofit charity made to the Department of Housing and Urban Development was turned down, according to Ginny Merflam, a reporter for the Missoulian newspaper.
The 50 apartments will be built on 4.5 acres of land the Salvation Army purchased near the corner of Third and Russell Streets. Called the Salvation Army Silvercrest, the building will be modeled after several dozen Silvercrests the Army has around the country. The Northwest has only two or three, Graciani said.
The project will offer independent living to 50 senior households, but it will be more than just apartments, he said. "We’re going to create a senior community to encourage them to interact with each other." The three-floor project will include a community room, a computer room and a dining hall where hot meals will be served. Groundbreaking for the apartments will be in the spring or early summer. For more information go to http://www.missoulian.com/
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JERSEY CITY TO REPLACE 60-YEAR-OLD BUILDINGS WITH SENIOR CENTER, TOWNHOUSES
Agencies in Jersey City, New Jersey will use a $34 million federal grant to replace 60-year-old buildings with a new mixed-income development. The Hope VI money is coupled with other grants and private investment in an effort to produce a better quality of affordable housing, according to the Jersey City Reporter.
Under the plan, the city will knock down the existing 490 units that comprise Lafayette Gardens, the city’s oldest public housing project, and replace it with a senior living center that will have 82 units and a row of new townhouses that total 218 units, according to reporter Prescott Tolk.
In total, the plan encompasses three separate areas within the Morris Canal Redevelopment Plan to build a total of 850 units over the next five years, setting aside 575 units for low-income tenants. The remaining units will be rented at market-rate or sold. For more information go to www.zwire.com/.
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