Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Nonprofit builds apartments for low-income seniors
A South Florida nonprofit is putting the final touches on its third building of affordable housing for low-income seniors in Pembroke Pines.
Miami Jewish Health Systems receiveda$10.5 million federal grant to construct the new 75-apartment, eco-friendly building that is open for renters 62 and older of all cultures and faiths.
Eligible seniors pay for the onebedroom units based on their income. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides subsidies when needed. That means a one-bedroom at the building might go for $400 per month instead of amarket value topping $1,000 monthly, developers said.
Demand for such affordable housing is so strong that there’s a “five-year waiting list” for the new tower and for two older ones that offer another150 units, said the nonprofit’s chief executive, Jeffrey Freimark.
“For the new building, we had more than 600 applicants” for 75 units, said Freimark. “So many folks can’t afford rent and some days have to decide whether to buy food or fill their prescriptions.”
The new Douglas Gardens North III building at 707 SW 88th Ave. is part of 26-acre campus in Pembroke Pines that the nonprofit has been developing for a decade on land leased from the state. Future plans may include a clinic to help seniors living in the apartments stay independent as long as possible before moving into nursing homes, Freimark said.
The new building was designed by C.C. Hodgson Architectural Group, which has offices in Fort Lauderdale. The general contractor was Beauch amp Construction Co. of Coral Gables.
The tower will earn silver certification under the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, or LEED, program of the U.S. Green Building Council. Projects are certified on a point system that gives credits for such features as watersaving toilets and energy-saving appliances, which also serve to cut operating and maintenance costs and help make housing more affordable long term.
Launched in 1940 to develop a nursinghome, Miami Jewish Health Systems has grown to offer a wide range of services from the largest nursing home in the U.S. southeast to hospitals, rehabilitation centers and senior apartments. It operates with a budget of roughly $120 million per year and employs about 1,300 full- and part-time people both directly and through contractors at its facilities, executives said.
Formerly known as Miami Jewish Home and Hospital, thenonprofit serves some 3,700 people per day in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties of all ages, ethnicities and faith daily.