Our Homes, Our Future

On the heels of the greatest health care challenge of our lives, Noble Horizons has had to deal with staffing shortages that were unforeseen three years ago. In many ways, this challenge has rivaled those which were seen during our COVID crisis. If we don’t have enough staff, we cannot meet the needs of those who depend on us for their care.

The ‘new normal’ is that the ‘old workforce’ has been dramatically affected by the damage done during the pandemic. There are fewer people available for traditional roles in the healthcare industry. For the past three years we have struggled to compete with others in our industry in our efforts to recruit new people to our doors. Our location here in the northwest part of Connecticut doesn’t help and housing costs are a major obstacle.

What do we do to fix this problem? We have had our greatest success in recruitment by offering innovative forms of housing including free housing! We’ve designated one of our cottages to the cause and created a ‘dorm’ style means of housing for new staff or staff secured through agency opportunities. We’ve provided empty rooms on a temporary basis in our nursing home. We’ve been able to house people, on a temporary basis, who otherwise would have had to travel from as far away as Albany, Hudson, Hartford, Pittsfield and even New Haven.

Noble Horizons would definitely benefit from better housing options. If temporary housing is working for us at Noble, think about how more permanent, affordable housing would benefit our town and other area communities. Think of how our area businesses and industries could create a stronger, more vibrant local economy if there were more possibilities for people to live and work here.

I’ve been in Salisbury for over five years now as Administrator of Noble Horizons. I’m also involved in the Salisbury Rotary Club. Salisbury has much to offer. It also has an aging population signifying the importance of having a proactive approach to attract the next generations to our community who wish to become part of its fabric, ensuring future growth and vitalization. Housing can be that conduit to a stronger, more viable community.

Bill Pond is the Administrator at Noble Horizons and a member of the Salisbury Rotary Club.