New units at Beckley House open with joy and hope

NORTH CANAAN — Mavis Cross was among the first to enter apartment 30 during a tour Nov. 13 of the expansion to Beckley House, on the Geer campus. She grinned widely as the group gazed around in admiration at the spacious kitchen, living room and bedroom (with generous closet space). 

By the end of the month, Cross will call it home. 

The ribbon had just been cut on the addition to the facility, which was paid for with a combination of federal and state funding. It will be subsidized by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), so it will be affordable. 

The 10-apartment addition, with common areas that include a library, computer room and sitting room, connects in a T-shape to the back of the original 24 Beckley units. It is two stories high, and connects to the second and third floors of the older section because of the hillside there. It will soon look like it was always there.

But its impact on the area will be far less subtle.

Senior housing, especially subsidized homes that allow aging in place, are few and far between in the Northwest Corner. Beckley House has had a waiting list since before it opened more than a decade ago. As the 10 new homes neared completion, the list of applicants mounted to about 25. 

Apartments are available to individuals 62 or over. Couples must include at least one person who meets the age requirement.

Last week’s celebration, which included lunch, began with Geer campus administrator Kevin O’Connell thanking all of the many people and agencies involved in the project, and an invocation by the Rev. Iain Highet of St. Joseph’s Church.

O’Connell introduced representatives from the property management company and HUD, whose support and leadership he called crucial.

“Congratulations to the residents who will live here,” said Suzanne Piacentini, Hartford field office director for HUD, “and to Geer, for putting up with the torture only a government agency can give out. Thank you for making the task easier in Hartford.”

O’Connell noted Beckley House residents will get access to much more than new homes. The apartments are designed to allow for aging in place and can be easily modified for wheelchair and other accessibility challenges. There is transportation, a pharmacy and other resources right on campus. 

“Seniors can live here for as long as they like and not feel isolated in their homes,” he said. 

First Selectman Douglas Humes offered thanks from the town for all that Geer does for the community.

State Rep. Roberta Willis (D-64) said it is wonderful when the government invests in communities in this way.

“It takes real leadership to step up to the plate,” she said. “Getting a project over the finish line can be tough.”

The expansion was funded with $1,672,000 in federal grant funding, including a $530,000 grant through the Competitive Housing Assistance for Multifamily Properties (CHAMP) program, administered though the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Willis spoke to three issues addressed by facilities such as Beckley House.

“It will provide access to affordable housing in our communities so that people who have lived there all their lives can stay,” Willis said. “It offers access to safe housing. The challenge as people get older is the existing mechanisms and safety needs in our homes. Many times, retrofitting homes is costly, and many seniors end up living in unsafe homes.

“In rural areas, it is easy to become isolated. It is so much better to live in a tight-knit community with the support of staff, neighbors and friends.”

She thanked O’Connell and the Geer board of directors.

O’Connell noted he came on board mid-project, and he too gave credit to the directors.

He had special thanks for the residents of the existing apartments, who “cheered us on through all the noise and disruption.”

“It was fun,” one of them said cheerfully.

Meanwhile, Cross was making mental notes about her move from Bragg Street. She has lived here about 55 years, including on an East Canaan farm she shared with her husband, Arthur.

“It’s a big change, and I have a lot of stuff to get rid off,” she said, “but its going to be so much more convenient for me. I think I will adjust just fine.”

Easing the adjustment is the fact that the youngest of her six children works at Geer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center next door, which Cross can see from her windows. 

“She is planning to come over for lunch ever day,” she said, admitting that it is her daughter who will do the cooking.