DETROIT (July 15, 2013) - Two nonprofit organizations with a history of innovation and service in Michigan today announce they have begun construction and continue their collaboration to redevelop Detroit’s Rivertown Neighborhood, create new jobs and fill important health care and living needs for seniors in Detroit. Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM) and United Methodist Retirement Communities, Inc. (UMRC) are partners in Phase Two of the Rivertown Neighborhood.
The nearly $7.5 million, 49,000 square-foot Phase Two, is being built just east of the $27.5 million Phase One development that opened in April of this year, in partnership with Henry Ford Health System and the Center For Senior Independence.
While Phase One includes Detroit’s first affordable assisted living and the newest location of the Center For Senior Independence, Phase Two will include 50 one bedroom, affordable senior apartments, funded in part through a $6.9 million capital advance grant of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Eligible residents will be 62 years old or older who meet HUD’s very low income requirements.
Phase Two will also include amenities such as a common area, a fitness center, a library and a computer lab, as well as meals and services available for residents inside their apartments. It is scheduled to open in the Summer of 2014.
The Rivertown Neighborhood is located across from the UAW/GM Center for Human Resources, south of Jefferson Avenue. The site is in close proximity to Detroit’s East Side – where there is a compelling need for affordable senior housing and senior health services.
A variety of funding sources have helped create a strong base of support for the first two phases of the Rivertown Neighborhood, including support from foundations committed to creating vibrant neighborhoods and economic development in Detroit. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan made a leadership grant commitment to the project in 2010 through the Detroit Neighborhood Fund. More recently, the development has received grants from The Kresge Foundation and The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which is based in Maryland and helps older adults live meaningful and engaged lives in their community. The project was further supported by HUD, MSDHA, Wayne County, and the City of Detroit HOME funds, brownfield tax credits, low income housing tax credits, and the partners’ own equity.
"Along with our partners, we are delivering the services and environments promised to the residents of Detroit," said Roger Myers, President and CEO of PVM. "Detroit’s senior population will expand by nearly 20 percent by 2035 and will be the only demographic group experiencing such growth over the next twenty-five years."
Founded in 1906 in Michigan, UMRC has more than 40 years of experience owning and operating senior citizen housing in the City of Detroit.
“Together, we are filling a void for low income Detroit seniors who need affordable, independent housing with services,” said John Thorhauer, President and CEO of UMRC. “Because UMRC and PVM are mission-driven organizations that don’t have to return shareholder value, we could make this investment simply on community need.”
Ultimately, the entire Rivertown Neighborhood is expected to serve more than 750 seniors annually.
Building on a foundation of more than 100 years of service, United Methodist Retirement Communities is a faith-based, non-profit organization that promotes the wellness, dignity and independence of older adults, by providing high quality, innovative and compassionate senior residential care services across Southeast Michigan. The organization is headquartered in Chelsea, Michigan and is online at www.umrc.com.
Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM), headquartered in Southfield, MI, is a faith-based, non-profit, multi-site system that has served seniors of all faiths since 1945. PVM currently serves more than 4,300 seniors and has 25 senior living communities including continuing care retirement communities (apartments, assisted living, and skilled nursing all on one campus), subsidized senior housing, and market rate senior housing. For more information on Presbyterian Villages of Michigan log on at www.pvm.org.
