In Gardena : Lower Rents Sought for New Senior Units

After approving a proposal to convert the vacant Gardena Medical Center Hospital into housing for senior citizens, Gardena officials this week started looking for ways to make the units affordable.

The City Council approved a plan to buy the two-building structure at 2303 Compton Blvd. for $3 million and convert it into a 51-unit facility for the elderly.

The city wants the facility to be self-supporting and hopes to recoup the $3 million through rents. But a consulting firm, Caring Inc., has told the city that residents would have to pay $979.22 a month for room and board if the facility is to pay for itself--far more than the $580 a month that the average Social Security recipient gets.

To lower the cost to potential residents, City Manager Kenneth W. Landau said the city staff will look into obtaining federal, state or county grants to help pay for converting the buildings. Another alternative under study is MediCal or Medicare subsidies for renters.

The $3 million in city funds will not be appropriated until the city finds a way to keep rents down while still recouping the city’s money, said Councilman Paul Tsukahara, who proposed the project.

Landau agreed: The city “will not do anything to the building until we are able to secure funds to offset the cost,” he said in an interview.

The facility will not be a nursing home. It is designed for elderly people who can take care of themselves but cannot afford to maintain a separate household.

The renovation would result in three one-bedroom units, two larger suites and 46 one-room apartments. Meals will be prepared in an existing kitchen and served in a refurbished dining area.

By 1990, an estimated 12.9% of Gardena’s population will be 65 years or older, according to the National Planning Data Corp., a New York-based company that studies population trends.

The city’s effort is one of several in the South Bay aimed at easing a growing housing crunch for the elderly.

In Redondo Beach, city and school officials converted two elementary schools into 300 housing units for senior citizens. Two housing projects in Lomita, Lomita Manor and Lomita Kiwanis Gardens, were subsidized by grants from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a funding arrangement similar to that being sought by Gardena officials for the hospital conversion.