Elderly have another housing option; Clarkston project offers next best thing to assisted living

Low-income elderly people in Asotin County who want to live independently but with a little help have a new place to call home.

Forty people are on a waiting list for the 22 remaining spots at Fairhaven Homes, said Judy Thompson, executive director of the Asotin County Housing Authority, which is operating the 24-unit complex. Some have been packed and ready to move since before Christmas, waiting out a problem with concrete that delayed construction of the project on the 1200 block of Washington Street in Clarkston.

It's not assisted living, but the next best thing with an on-site service coordinator who will help residents access things in the community.

"One reason we did this was we found out how expensive it is to live in assisted living," Thompson said. "This is our answer to that."

The project came in at a little less than $2.8 million, coming from a somewhat complicated array of funding with different rules attached depending on where the money came from.

Construction went off largely without a hitch, Thompson said, with work starting in January 2006. The only snag was a six-month delay because of a problem with concrete drying that prevented floor coverings from being put down.

The idea for Fairhaven sprouted after the head of the housing authority board of directors, Scott Broyles, tried to find suitable housing for two elderly aunts in California who could no longer live on their own. He learned how costly assisted living can be.

"It brought me up short of how badly some sort of assisted living for economically disadvantaged elderly adults was needed," Broyles said.

The Clarkston project is not assisted living, but what Thompson calls "enhanced living." There will eventually be a service coordinator on site to help residents access things like Meals on Wheels or cleaning services available in the community. Elderly people are often hesitant to seek these services out on their own, Thompson said, but added that if they are approached about what their needs are they will use them.

His 12 years on the housing authority board have given Broyles insight into the demographics of the county.

"It's obvious looking at our clientele and what I see in the community that if you're not in a position to afford a place like Evergreen Estates you're in pretty tough shape," he said.

"What we have here is independent living with a social services safety net built in for folks that can't afford to be elsewhere. This is one shining moment where we have made a difference."

All of the units are handicapped accessible, and all but two have one bedroom and about 600 square feet of space. Small, yes, but Thompson explains the size has to do with a combination of federal Housing and Urban Development standards and funding. One of the two-bedroom units will be where the on-site manager will live rent free. This person, who will double as the service coordinator, has not been hired and won't be until all of the units are rented out and money starts coming in.

The amount residents will pay to live there varies. They will pay 30 percent of their adjusted gross income for rent and utilities. The housing authority gets money from HUD to make up the rest of the market value of the apartments, and that money will be used to pay operating costs like the manager.

The set up of the complex gives it the feel of a community. The buildings are close together and connected with sidewalks that have a hand rail. Units also have porch-like areas for residents to sit outside.

And there's a building that houses a community room with a kitchen, laundry room and library with computers, all for residents to use.

All of this was part of an effort to provide independent living that still allowed for residents to interact with others.

"We have some 90-year-olds, 95-year-olds living here," Thompson said. "When you reach that age, you get a lot of people who can't drive. For the money we had to work with, it will be a nice place for people to live and age without going into a facility."

Five of the apartments are owned by the housing authority, with people 55 and older leasing them. The other 19 are funded primarily with HUD funds and will house people 62 and older, according to HUD guidelines.

The housing authority couldn't apply for HUD funds itself, and had to set up a separate corporation and go through the nonprofit group Community Frameworks in Spokane to do it.

Thompson and others in on the project initially wanted the apartments to house frail elderly, but discovered they couldn't be that specific in who they rented to.

There will be an open house this week for those involved in the project to see the finished product. Thompson said there will even be a rare appearance by a HUD representative from Seattle.

Now that the project is essentially done, she said it's turned out better than she imagined.

"I like the feeling here. It feels like a little community rather than a housing project."

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Heisinger may be contacted at andreah@lmtribune.com or at (208) 743-9600, ext. 278.