Tag: Sisters of Providence

Sisters of Providence celebrate grand opening of Hillside Residence

The grand opening of Hillside Residence in West Springfield took place on Friday, Sept. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at the former location of Brightside.

This innovative, health care-integrated housing model offers 36 rental units for low income elders. It was a development completed by the Sisters of Providence. Sister Kathleen Popko, president of the Sisters of Providence, said the project began more than 10 years ago with the closing of Brightside for Families and Children. She said the Sisters of Providence were looking to the future and how they could use the 27-acre campus most effectively to serve the community.

“So it is an exciting day for us and it has been a tremendous amount of work. Here is a way to demonstrate that collaboration and working together can lead to wonderful results that benefit the common good of the community,” said Sister Popko.

The Sisters of Providence had the 77,000-square-foot De Paul Center, which was the administration building for Brightside and now contains several health-related groups including Mercy Life. Mercy Life, a Medicare/Medicaid program will be providing the health services for occupants of Hillside Residence. Sister Popko said she was pleased to celebrate the grand opening of Hillside Residence on the feast of St. Vincent De Paul, the patron saint of the Sisters of Providence.

“St. Vincent (de Paul) was noted for his care of the poor, the orphan, the neglected, the people who are on the streets, and we live out that charism. I feel that this project reflects that commitment to those who are most in need,” said Sister Popko.

Hillside Residence received funding and support from both public and private entities and was awarded state and federal funds from the Housing Stabilization Fund, the National Housing Trust Fund, Housing Innovation Fund Program and Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program project-based subsidies. In addition, grants from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and West Springfield’s Community Preservation Committee contributed to the funding for the $9.2 million project.

West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt joined other local and state leaders at the grand opening. Mayor Reichelt first became involved with the project in 2012 when he was a member of the Community Preservation Committee. He said the Sisters of Providence, especially Sister Popko, have been tenacious in tracking down funds to make the development happen.

“West Springfield is becoming an age-friendly community. That is our goal, to keep our residents here. If they do need services and are not able to stay in their home this is a great option for them. The sisters run a great program anyway, but to incorporate this as well is a huge asset for West Springfield,” Mayor Reichelt said.

“Affordable care, especially in 2019, it is tough, housing is tough. So, to have that care and housing all in one piece and be in West Springfield, it’s a huge bonus. We are very excited,” he said.

Mercy Life is a PACE program (Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly). Hillside Residence will over time add to research on the effectiveness of the health care offered to occupants of this community. This data will assist housing developers and healthcare providers to understand the benefits of the PACE integrated housing model.

Major donors and individuals involved with Hillside Residence were in attendance at the grand opening. Also, many elected officials and dignitaries from the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Massachusetts Office of Elder Affairs and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation offered comments during the event.

“That is a true, true, true gift to somebody aging with chronic illness. Hillside Residence also creates an environment that will provide the essential elements of home, familiarity, comfort, and a sense of belonging, where independence is valued and changing needs are met. Bravo for the respite units that you have here,” said Elizabeth Chen, the state secretary of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Sister Popko asked all of the Sisters of Providence present to stand for recognition. Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski blessed the Hillside Residence building with holy water and offered a prayer. Everyone was then asked to go inside as Sister Popko was surprised with the unveiling of her portrait and a plaque dedicating the building in her honor. A reception later took place while tours were offered of the units and community rooms.

A video version of this story will be featured on an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS and in the Berkshires Sunday mornings at 5:30 on Albany’s Fox 23, WXXA.

SourceiObserve Catholic Communications News

Sisters of Providence break ground on $10M affordable housing with elder care services in West Springfield

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.

SourceMassLive