Creative Conversion of Existing Buildings to Seniors' Housing

by Gloria Gutman, Nancy Gnaedinger, MA

Introduction

Over the last decade, “closer to home” and “aging in place” have been recurrent themes in the popular and technical literature on shelter and care of seniors. Communities across North America have learned that it is important and desirable to deliver health care, housing and other services for seniors as close to their home as possible so that they can remain in the community rather than moving to an institutional setting.

While institutions such as nursing homes, chronic hospitals, and Special Care Units are recognized as necessary parts of the shelter-care continuum, it is also recognized that these should be reserved for very physically and/or mentally frail persons who require specialized long term residential care in a protective environment.

In between the family home or unit in a conventional apartment block, an array of housing options have been developed in both urban and rural settings that go by the name “assisted living”, “congregate housing”, “supportive housing” and sometimes simply “seniors’ housing”. Developed by the private, public and non-profit sectors these housing forms have in common the desire on the part of the development group to meet the needs of seniors who can no longer live comfortably and safely in conventional housing but who require only a minimum of assistance (often mainly meals and emergency assistance) to function autonomously or semi-independently with respect to ADLs and IADLs. An added benefit of such housing is the companionship and camaraderie that can develop when people of similar socio-economic, cultural, ethnic or geographic background are juxtaposed in a residential setting.

Background of the Research

In recent years in Canada, many different types of building forms, in many different settings, have been converted to seniors' housing. ("Conversion" in the housing field means using a building or structure for a purpose other than what it was originally designed for.)

There are at least three reasons why conversions are of interest. First, there is a growing need for supportive living environments for a growing older population. Second, many communities cannot afford new construction for seniors’ housing, especially for those seniors whose incomes are in the middle and lower ranges. And third, there is a need to provide the widest possible range of housing choices for seniors.

Our first real encounter with creative conversions was in the course of a crosscountry study of seniors’ housing conducted for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (Gutman, Clarke Scott & Gnaedinger, 1999). Our imaginations were sparked, so more examples of conversions were sought; leads were followed up; and more conversions were discovered. Case studies were conducted by telephone, fax and email. The selection criteria for inclusion in the study were straightforward: the building(s) had to have been originally built for another purpose, had to have been converted to seniors’ housing, and had to be occupied by seniors.

Following are brief descriptions of six creative conversions to seniors’ housing, in different regions of Canada.

Timothy Gardens, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Timothy Gardens is a converted Eaton's store on the main street of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It was purchased from Eaton's by the municipality (with provincial and federal financial assistance) and converted in 1990 to social housing for seniors. There are 26 independent apartments on the second and third floors. All rents are subsidized (RGI).

The ground floor and basement have community spaces, including a cafeteria, meeting rooms, and social service offices. Seniors who live in the building and those who live elsewhere in the community can use the cafeteria. A local non-profit seniors’ group administers these communal spaces/services. The building is centrally located, attractive, and part of the community. We were told that “everyone wants to move there”, including seniors who do not require rent subsidies.

Life Care Retirement Community, Winnipeg, Manitoba

In 1993, a downtown hotel was partially converted, with private financing by the owneroperator. Part of the building provides supported living for seniors, and part of it is still a viable hotel. There were no major structural changes. Ninety independent units were created in one part of the hotel. There are single rooms with efficiency kitchens (tiny kitchenettes) and one-bedroom units with kitchenettes. All units have private bathrooms.

Residents have the security of knowing that they can call the switchboard in case of emergency, 24 hours a day. They have assistance from the Life Care Community staff in accessing support services. There is a nurse on-site weekdays, and a doctor on call on weekends. Residents also have an optional package of services, including dining, housekeeping, and laundering of linens that they may purchase.

The advantages of this environment are first, being part of a hotel there is “always some action” and second, since many of the staff are from the hospitality industry, “they know how to treat seniors as guests, not patients”.

Residence Wilfred Lecours, Québec City, Québec

In the early 1990s, in an historic area of Québec City, two technical schools were linked by a new wing and converted to housing for low-income seniors.

The money to convert the property came from the province and the municipality. The development and operations were, and are, a collaborative effort with the local multi-service community health centre (known as “CLSC” in Québec).

There are 115 fully accessible units, as well as amenity spaces, a dining room and communal laundry. Support services include 24 hour monitoring and two meals per day. Residents’ rental fees pay for the services provided onsite.

Garden Suites, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

(The term “garden suites” as used here has no connection to the name that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has given to what Australians call “granny flats”, or Americans call “elder cottages”. It is just a coincidence.)

Garden Suites was developed in New Glasgow, a community of 10,000, because there were very few housing options for older people who wanted low maintenance, level entry housing with some sense of security. A former motel was converted with private financing, by its owner/operator, in 1994. The property, surrounded by trees, is a short walk from a large mall.

The sixteen apartments are roomy and elegantly appointed. Vestibules were added to the front of the units to give the entrances a home-like appearance. The former motel offices and lounge were converted to a communal activity space, exercise room and communal kitchen.

Each tenant has a key. One of the residents receives a reduced rent for organizing group activities, such as Potluck Night.

The seniors who live there have the autonomy afforded by private, spacious, one-storey townhouses, and at the same time, they have the security of knowing their neighbours, and the opportunity to use shared social space.

Centre du Troisième Age, St-Martin, Québec

Another converted motel is in St- Martin, Québec, a small village of 2500. It was converted to seniors housing in 1986. This community of 2500 people raised $185,000 to purchase the building.

For the first phase, twelve rooms were renovated with volunteer labour, during a surge of work similar to an old-fashioned barnraising. The residence now has twenty-three units, all with a sink and toilet. There is a communal dining room. Other support services are provided on-site, including mail pick-up and delivery (a very important service in a rural area with a harsh winter). The cost of services is covered by residents' fees.

The Community Room at the Centre du Troisième Age is used by community groups at no charge, since “it was the community which made this place a reality”. The volunteer board of directors does a significant amount of the administrative work, thus saving money.

This community made it possible for its older members to remain in their familiar community, rather than having to move elsewhere due to frailty.

Woodsmoke Elders' Lodge, Anzac, Alberta

Anzac is a small settlement 800 kilometres north of Edmonton, Alberta. The nearest city is Fort McMurray. There is a significant Aboriginal population in this area.

In 1991, Alberta Housing purchased four small, one-storey, one-bedroom manufactured homes that had been displayed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in Calgary. The homes were moved to Anzac, where there was no seniors' housing at the time.

The small manufactured homes are clustered in a semi-circle, across the road from the local social services offices and community centre. The community centre has regular staff on-site, special social events, a woodworking shop, and other opportunities for activity and social interaction.

The seniors who live in the four small houses are checked daily by a worker from the social services office, and are provided with snow clearance and other supports, by family members and neighbours. Rent is subsidized (RGI).

One of the occupants is an elderly blind man who could not remain on his own, but did not want to move from the country to Fort McMurray. He loved the rural life too much for that.

This project is considered a conversion, because the garden suites were intended to be individually placed to the side or in the back yard of a home occupied by a senior’s adult child; they were not intended to be clustered.

This project is considered to be a “small is beautiful” solution.

Summary and Conclusion

The conversions described in this article have several things in common.

These examples are important in showing what can be done when a community thinks creatively about meeting the needs of its frail elders. In these days when capital and operating subsidies are no longer readily available from federal and provincial government sources there are lessons to be learned from them about about public-private and public-NGO partnerships, about community spirit and community involvement, and about using what otherwise might be derelict buildings and bankrupt businesses for constructive purposes.

These examples are particularly cogent for rural and remote areas where there is often a shortage of specialized services for seniors and where, in the past, seniors have been forced to relocate to unfamiliar urban locations. Separated from family and friends and familiar environmental landmarks, many experienced the effects of relocation stress, known to be exacerbated when the degree of change in the physical and psycho-social environment is large. “Closer to home” has many benefits not just for frail elders, but also for families and for people who work in service industry jobs. It is a policy that needs to be whole-heartily supported but in a new way that builds on community development principles rather than government handouts.