WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Sisters of Providence have broken ground on Hillside Residence, a $10 million project to build 36 units of affordable, elder care housing on the 27-acre Providence campus at 2112 Riverdale St.
The project calls for integrating housing for residents age 62 or older with the health services they will need as they grow older, according to Sister Kathleen Popko, president of the Sisters of Providence.
“At times, the dream seemed futile,” Popko told the crowd gathered Friday at the site where the housing will soon rise, recalling the ups and downs of trying to secure project funding over the years.
The goal, the Catholic nun said, is to build safe, affordable housing for “frail elders” who will also require health services as they age. That is where Mercy LIFE’s PACE program — “Program for All-inclusive Care of the Elderly” — enters the picture.
PACE, a Medicare and Medicaid program, will help low-income seniors at risk of being institutionalized who also need the level of care provided in nursing facilities. Because the project has secured a commitment from the state to help with rental subsidies, the housing cost for residents of Hillside will be capped at 30 percent of their income, according to Popko.
In addition to helping at-risk seniors secure a home, Joseph Larkin, executive director of Mercy LIFE, says Hillside will provide older residents with the human connection they need, including opportunities to share meals and other forms of socialization.
“Loneliness is a significant risk factor,” Larkin said.
Popko praised West Springfield Mayor William C. Reichelt for his ongoing support of the project. “He has facilitated our efforts,” she said of the mayor, calling him “a friend and supporter.”
Sen. James T. Welch and Rep. Michael J. Finn, West Side’s Statehouse delegation on Beacon Hill, were also on hand for the event, which drew about 100 people including local and state dignitaries. Popko says Welch and Finn have been strong supporters of the project by the Sisters of Providence.
“This really is the next cutting-edge of health care in Massachusetts. These are the types of projects we’re always continuously looking for,” Welch, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, said of Hillside Residence.
“Congratulations and thank you for your tenacity and stick-to-itiveness,” he said, directing his remarks to the Sisters of Providence and Mercy LIFE officials in attendance.
“We’re all here today because we’re invested in Hillside Residence,” said Janelle Chan, newly appointed undersecretary for Housing and Community Development, which oversees the state’s affordable housing programs, community service, and assistance for homeless people.
State Elder Affairs Secretary Alice Bonner noted that Popko and Sister Mary Caritas Geary, vice president of Sisters of Providence, have been “powerful and tenacious” advocates for the Hillside Residence project, never giving up “despite rejection after rejection.”
“It’s about creating campuses where people can age together with the services they need,” said Bonner, adding that Hillside Residence will serve as a model for how to live and age well in Massachusetts. To create a truly integrated support system for older residents, “it has to be about housing plus services,” she said.
The project will cater to people age 62 or older with incomes at 50 percent of the area median income or lower, and those whose healthcare needs and “housing instability” can be helped by the integrated program.
The project is being financed by public and private sources, including state and federal assistance, $750,000 in Community Preservation Act funds from the Town of West Springfield, and grants from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
Also speaking at the event were Roger Herzog, executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, and Paul Boudo, chairman of the West Springfield Community Preservation Committee.
Boudo and Popko pitched the project to the West Springfield Town Council in January. The following month, the council unanimously authorized using $750,000 in CPA funds for the project.
Boudo says Hillside Residence will help West Side reach its state-mandated 10 percent affordable housing goal. Only around 3.5 percent of the town’s housing is considered affordable.
The project’s “development team” includes Kathleen Lingenberg of Community Outcomes LLC; John Wesolowski, chief financial officer of Sisters of Providence Inc.; architects Greg Zorzi and Chris Novelli of Studio One Inc.; Randall Locklin of Locklin Construction Co., and Christopher Boino and his team at Western Builders Inc.
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, gave the closing blessing at Friday’s ceremony.