The Senior Scene

Financing through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission is resulting in the construction of 116 apartments for seniors in Milton.
The Alder Ridge Apartments will offer what developers are calling affordable housing for low-income adults who are 62 or older. Some units will be reserved for individuals with disabilities or other special needs.
Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2013.
“We’re excited to be a part of making this housing possible,” said Karen Miller, chairwoman of the Housing Finance Commission.
The commission financed the project by issuing $8 million in tax-exempt bonds, combined with $4 million in housing tax credits for the developer. The financing package also includes a taxable loan backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The public partners allow the project to be supported by private lenders without the use of state funding.
Plans for Alder Ridge call for 74 one-bedroom and 42 two-bedroom units, including 17 garden-style apartments with private access to the outside. Other amenities in the three-story complex will include a clubhouse, beauty salon and computer lab.
Village Development LLC, based in Federal Way, will own and manage the complex, located at 38338 28th Ave. S. in Milton. Alder Ridge is Village Development’s third affordable-housing project with the Housing Finance Commission.
The Housing Finance Commission will stay involved after the project is built to provide training and technical assistance to the owner and property manager, who must follow federal and state requirements for the next 30 years. The relationship will keep rents low and help the owner avoid any financial pitfalls from inadvertent noncompliance, officials said.
“It’s great to have a funding partner like the commission who can work with us as a team and solve problems along the way,” said David Baus, project development coordinator for Village Development. “It takes all of us to build communities and build families.”
According to the National Association of Home Builders, the local impact of building 100 apartments in a typical development includes $7.9 million in local income, 122 local jobs, and $827,000 in taxes and other revenue for local governments. In the long term, 100 apartments will contribute an estimated 30 local jobs, $2.4 million in local income and $441,000 in taxes each year, the associate estimated.
The Housing Finance Commission is a self-supporting organization with a mission of increasing housing access and affordability. The commission, which receives no regular state funding for its operations, works with lenders, investors, developers, non-profit organizations, first-time homebuyers, beginning farmers and ranchers, and energy companies to generate private investment dollars.

Comfort Keepers of South King County received national recognition in January with a place in Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual Franchise 500 rankings for 2013.

The magazine cited Comfort Keepers as the leading franchise within the senior care category, as well as 59th among the top 500 franchises overall.

Kim Sanchez, owner of Comfort Keepers of South King County, said, “This kind of recognition among all franchises, nationally, is rare. It’s something all of us at our office, as well as the 700-plus locations around the world, can be proud of.”

But Sanchez said the needs of its clients are most important to Comfort Keepers.

“Ultimately, it is what we do each and every day that matters most. We help seniors to live independently within the comfort of their own homes,” she said.

Comfort Keepers was founded in 1998. In 2009, franchisor CK Franchising Inc. was purchased by Sodexo, an international food and facilities management company.

Entrepreneur’s 34th annual Franchise 500 ranking reveals the impact of the newest trends and the industries poised for growth, according to the magazine. All companies, regardless of size, are judged by the same criteria — objective, quantifiable measures of the franchise operation. Magazine officials said the most important factors include financial strength and stability, growth rate, and size of the system.

According to Entrepreneur, the ranking shows that many of the most competitive companies are those that go after a specific demographic. Among the top growing demographic categories nationally is senior care.

“Using Medicaid: Medicaid Eligibility and Other Resources” – a free, informational workshop sponsored by Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center – is scheduled in February to provide basic information about Medicaid, including services that are covered, eligibility requirements, spend-down and personal financial consequences.

While the focus will be on Medicaid for older adults, the presentation will include coverage of other healthcare options for all ages.

The workshop will be held Feb. 11 at two times and locations in Tacoma (the Pierce County Annex, main conference room, 12:10-12:50  p.m., 2401 S. 35th St., and Peoples Retirement Community, 7-8 p.m.,  1720 E. 67th St.), and again on Feb. 13 at the County-City Building, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m., at 930 Tacoma Ave. S. in Tacoma.

“Medicaid is an important tool,” said Aaron Van Valkenburg, manager of Aging and Disability Resources.  “Families should know about it, how it works, the advantages and disadvantages and the many other resources available in the community.”

Additional information is available from Aging and Disability Resource Center at (253) 798-4600 or (800) 5462-0332.

Pat Jenkins has joined Senior Scene as its editor. He replaces Bonnie Dickson, who was the editor for eight years.

During a career in journalism and communications that has spanned 30 years, Jenkins has been an editor of newspapers in Washington and Hawaii and a computer industry magazine in California. In addition to his duties with Senior Scene, he is editor of The Dispatch, a weekly newspaper based in Eatonville that covers south Pierce County.

Jenkins’ community involvement includes serving as a member of the Puyallup School Board. He lives in Puyallup, is married and has two children – a grown son who also lives in Puyallup, and a daughter who is a college freshman.

In another change involving Senior Scene, Dorothy Moe is retiring after 15 years as one of its advertising representatives.

“It has been my pleasure to meet and talk with many of our advertisers and readers the past 15 years,” Moe said. “As I retire, I want to thank each of you for making my job easier.”

Dickson, who is now pursuing other professional interests, was honored for her long tenure with Senior Scene during the 2012 Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources appreciation luncheon Dec. 18 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Tacoma.