Work moves forward at former senior living center in city

The redevelopment of the former Lemington Home for the Aged into an affordable 54-unit senior development and community health center is moving forward.

Cleanup of the interior of the building is underway, said Michael Polite, CEO of Ralph Falbo Inc. and Catalyst Communities.

The deal is being financed with a mix of public and private funds, including project-based vouchers from the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, a loan from Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Housing Opportunity Fund and low-income housing tax credits.

In the Lincoln-LemingtonBelmar neighborhood in the East End, the site was formerly the Lemington Home for the Aged, which closed in 2005. The redevelopment has been several years in the making. The URA approved a loan for the project last year.

The majority of the building’s senior housing units will be handicapped accessible, said Jung-Wook “JW” Kim, director of planning and development for the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, speaking after the authority’s January board meeting.

The first floor of the building will be a 16,000-square-foot health center that will serve the residents of the building, as well as others from the community.

The East Liberty Family Health Care Center plans to relocate its Lincoln-Lemington medical and dental office, located nearby on Churchland Street, to the redeveloped facility next year.

“We’ve been growing by leaps and bounds” and needed the larger space, said Jo Ellen Welsh, director of development for the health center.

The facility will serve more than just the building’s residents, Ms. Welsh said in an interview Tuesday.

“All of our locations are here to serve anyone who needs us,” she said.

The health center hopes to move into the refurbished space next year.