New Complex Aids Seniors, Disabled
About 250 people turned out last week to dedicate a 75-unit affordable-housing complex at 6850 Florence Ave. for senior citizens and handicapped residents.
Westminster Court, where residents pay as little as $40-a-month rent, is next to a multi-service community center that offers programs for older people in Southeast Los Angeles County area. Services include welfare and family counseling, adult day care, home-delivered meals, and transportation to local hospitals and social service agencies. The center is run by the Human Services Assn., a nonprofit agency whose programs are funded by the county, the United Way and other private sources.
The combination of the two facilities will help Westminster Court residents get vital services and allow them to volunteer in the community, the complex’s developer predicted.
“They can go right next door and be involved, if they so choose,” said Marc Herrera, director of home administration for Glendale-based Southern California Presbyterian Homes, a nonprofit developer of senior citizens’ complexes. “This will benefit their quality of life, no doubt about it. The sky’s the limit in terms of involvement.”
Seven of the units--with grab bars, lowered sinks, roll-in showers and other amenities--are reserved for handicapped residents. The remainder are for people over age 62.
The three-story building offers a 24-hour call system, security, laundry facilities and community meeting rooms, among other features. Each unit is equipped with emergency response pull cords, which residents can use to alert building staff.
“I love it. You’re safe completely,” said Miguel A. Sepulveda, 65, who moved into one of the units in late August. “I like the security and the quiet. For our age, nothing can be better than this.”
There are no vacancies, Herrera said and 95 people are on a waiting list. Applicants must be 62 and older or 18 and older if they are handicapped. Preference is given to applicants who have been paying 50% or more of their income for rent, who have been living in substandard housing or are being involuntarily displaced.
Westminster Court residents, who began moving into the studio and single-bedroom apartments in August, spend no more than 30% of their incomes on monthly rent.
The average rent is $150, with some residents paying as little as $40 for the units, Herrera said. The rates are kept low through a $4.3-million, 40-year loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Without the HUD funds, monthly rents would be $596 for the studios and $685 for the one-bedroom units, Herrera said.
The Bell Gardens redevelopment agency also kicked in $86,000 for the project and another $50,000 to help build the community center, which opened in January.
“The array of senior services (at Westminster Court and the community center) will allow residents to continue living a life of independence and dignity in their own apartments without fear of premature institutionalization,” said Susanne Sundbert, executive director of the Human Services Assn. “We think it will serve as a model on how support and long-term services enhance the lives of handicapped and senior citizens.”
Information: (310) 806-2893.
