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News/Events - Meeting Minutes

MINUTES OF MEETING:

Call to Order 4:35 PM.

Present:
Patricia Butler, Chairman
Susan Blair
Edward McCann (left at 6:10 PM)

Mary Dean arrived at 4:40

Absent: None

Also Present:
Paul DeLeo, Executive Director and Secretary to the Board
Richard Conlon, CPA, Scituate Housing Authority Fee Accountant

The Board had asked Stephen Gardiner, President of Center Point Foundation, Inc., an organization dedicated to the development of affordable assisted living housing, to present the possibilities available to the Scituate Housing Authority for developing an affordable assisted living facility.

Mr. Gardiner made the following points about subsidized assisted living development:

There is a huge benefit to converting an existing senior housing development because a major part of developing a site, and constructing a building thereon -- site exploration, clearing, permitting, and construction of the shell -- are already done. In addition, there is already neighborhood acceptance of a senior housing facility. Consequently, the lower costs and risks of conversion projects are much easier to fund than new construction.

Mr. Gardiner encourages Boards of Directors to dream a little to conceive of a marvelous idea for a community solution. “The better the story, the easier it is to get funding.” The application must be accompanied by a feasibility study. Tax credit syndicates are especially careful to scrutinize the need and marketing demand for the project. The Board can expect the original concept will be compromised in the course of the funding process.

A feasibility study may cost $55,000, which can be financed in part by an NBC grant from the state.

A conversion project could be mostly funded with a HUD grant, but new construction would require 9% Tax Credit financing, which is highly competitive. In either case, the project will require funding from several sources, including the Town, which is why it may be advantageous to consider making a Central Park assisted living facility a service platform for services to other Scituate seniors.

The largest source of candidates for an affordable Assisted Living facility is public independent senior housing programs, The second source is people who are inappropriately living in the nursing homes of Scituate and surrounding communities. State administrators would immediately move those on public assistance to the Assisted Living facilities, which are less than half the cost of a Nursing Home – a savings of $3,000 per month per person for the Commonwealth.

In his experience, Mr. Gardiner feels the ideal number of units in a facility is 75. Below 60 is not economically viable, and above 100 is too institutional. There are exceptions. For example, some economies of scale may be gained from nearby service facilities, such as being adjacent to a senior center that has excess commercial kitchen capacity.

The quality of the building and services guaranteed by the lessee Operators will be excellent because they are highly regulated, anything less is a hazard to the residents.

The principal incremental benefit of assisted living over independent senior housing is the enhanced ability of the residents to socialize. This is possible because they are healthier --diet and medications are supervised -- staff is present for greetings and encouragement, there are exercise facilities, and meals are served in a dining room setting.

To be eligible for subsidy, a person must not exceed regulated income and asset limits, and must require help with at least one Activity of Daily Living. People afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease are not eligible because they can be a threat to the health and safety of other residents.

Most residents would participate in the Group Adult Foster Care program, which either taxes or supplements a person’s income to make it approximately $1,100 per month. The minimum age for this program is 22 years.

In the discussion following the presentation, Board members mentioned the possibility of funding a feasibility study in whole or in part with Community Preservation funds, and that SHA’s application for such funds could be heard at a Special Town Meeting in September. Mr. Gardiner volunteered to forward a model RFP to the Executive Director.

It was further mused that the independent senior housing units lost in the Central Park conversion might be replaced by a HUD § 202 funded senior housing development on the Driftway and New Kent site.

The Meeting adjourned at 6:30 PM.