Posts Tagged ‘The Birches at Fishkill’

New Health Care Partnership

Friday, November 19th, 2010

11-19-10  by Kathy Kahn

Elant, the largest senior health care provider in the Hudson Valley, and Birchez Associates, an affordable senior home builder based in Ulster County, are joining forces to bring more services to the region’s fast-growing over-55 population.

Elant, with locations in Orange, Dutchess and Westchester that serve over 1,000 people a day, and Birchez Associates, which has been several affordable housing projects for both families and seniors in Ulster, have formed a private-public partnership to help provide a wider range of services to the seniors they serve and expand their respective reach into the growing elder care marketplace.

Their first partnership, “The Nurse Is In,” was started in April 2010, facilitated by Elant’s vice president of clinicial affairs. Three mornings a week, a registered nurse from Elant travels between The Birches at Esopus and The Birches at Chambers, providing wellness counseling, acting as a liaison between residents’ doctors or hospitals, and assisting residents who need licensed home health services, which Elant is able to provide through its own health aide program.

For Elant, it’s an opportunity to expand its presence in Ulster County. For Steve Aaron, founder and president of Birchez Associates in Kingston, it’s an opportunity to work with a respected senior health care provider and to offer enhanced services to residents of his senior care complexes and to expand Birchez Associates’ borders as well.

They co-sponsored a breakfast in Orange County on Nov.10 at Anthony’s Pier 9 featuring Matt Thornhill, founder of The Boomer Project. Thornhill spoke of the growing trend of private-public partnerships similar to the one Elant and Birchez has embarked upon.

Elant and Birchez plan to continue their private-public partnership and are currently working to build a 62-and-over affordable senior apartment complex on the grounds of Elant at Fishkill.

“It will be another way for us to provide continuum of care for the senior population,” said Donna Cornell, chairwoman of the board of directors for Elant. “Steve builds quality affordable senior housing. We excel in providing services for seniors. We have 6 acres of property at our Fishkill site where we would like to provide housing and also have the ability to provide services for residents as they need them through our own skilled nursing facility. We both believe that we can provide a combined service to the community and to form the private-public partnerships that are needed.”

Aaron says public-private partnerships is a growing trend that makes sense for anyone trying to meet the needs of the aging population. “No one entity can do it all alone. ‘The Nurse is In’ program has been a great boon to our residents at our senior complexes and I’m looking forward to continuing to partner with Elant.”

published on Westfair Online

Universal Design is Key to Easy Living

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Kingston, 11/10 by Gina Marinelli

No one can predict the future, but one can prepare for it by creating a safe home environment to “age in place.”

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), aging in place is the ability to live in one’s home regardless of age or ability. However, Active Adult Communities (AACs) throughout the Hudson Valley and tri-state area have made it possible to age in place in a community that is not only accessible, but beautiful as well.

Malcarne Contracting, under the ownership of Joseph Malcarne, is one of the key contractors responsible for the construction of The Birches at Chambers, an affordable senior housing community in Ulster. “The first thing that would be surprising is just how beautiful the place is,” Malcarne says of the landscaping and architecture. It was important to meet the full spectrum of needs of the seniors, Malcarne says, while still remaining user-friendly to those without special needs.

“If you are a fully independent and active senior today, you don’t really have to take advantage of the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) appliances and features,” says K.J. McIntyre, director of marketing of Birchez Associates, LLC, which represents The Birches at Chambers as well as many other AACs. “But let’s say you fall and break a hip, you don’t have to move to accommodate that.”

All units are either handicapped accessible or handicapped ready if a resident’s needs change, says McIntyre. With wider doorways and extra studs in the bathroom walls to accommodate grab bars, the units can be retrofitted in stages, she says. For instance, in the kitchen, the island can be adjusted to provide moving space, and the central drain can be switched to a side drain so that tenants in wheelchairs can have easy access. In the bathrooms, McIntyre continues, roll in showers are already in place and fold down shower seats can be installed and additional grab bars can be added, as necessary.”This is especially helpful if there is a couple living in the unit,” she says.

In the case of The Birches at Chambers, Malcarne wanted to “create senior living that is going to provide  healthy and quality indoor air and be very energy efficient.” Slated for a LEED Platinum certification, The Birches at Chambers is a state-of-the-art building, says Malcarne, which features energy recovery ventilators and air exchangers that recovers heat and humidity in the air. In addition, the units are extremely airtight, the attic features cellulose insulation made of recycled newspapers, and there are solar panels on the roof, which will provide a large portion of the energy to supply heat, hot water, and electricity to the community.

“Finding affordable housing at this level of universal design with the aging-in-place concept is very unusual,” says McIntyre. The Birches senior living communities, which also have locations in Esopus and Saugerties, offers EMS quick responses, fitness centers and trainers, movie theatres, libraries, game rooms, fully equipped computer rooms, among other amenities for a complete and convenient living experience. Birchez Associates will soon break ground in Fishkill, giving residents access to the nursing services of the Elant campus on which the facility will be built. . .

Excerpted from the full article, Multi-Generational Design: Universal Design is Key to Easy Living, in the Boomer’s Guide to Living 2010 published by Schein Media (Kingston, NY)

The publication is currently available by clicking here.

Redefining Affordable

Monday, November 15th, 2010

Kingston, 11-10 by Kim Plummer

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of affordable housing developments being built throughout New York State. For aging boomers seeking affordable housing, the key is to start looking early, do your homework, and reach out to local agencies, sources say.

Ken Harris, senior policy analyst for New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (NYAHSA) says the decline in this sort of housing can be attributed to increased costs and zoning issues. “A lot of housing that needs to go through zoning changes is finding opposition from neighbors in many cases,” Harris says. “It’s a recent trend that’s difficult.” . . .

When looking for affordable senior housing, one should keep in mind that affordable housing can still be very competitive with market-rate housing as far as amenities go. A lot of people believe the more you pay, the more services you get, but that’s not always the case, Harris says.

Housing is unique; amenities, transportation services, and communities vary quite a bit, even in the realm of affordable housing units. Harris suggests people do their homework when searching for affordable housing; one element he finds particularly important to seniors is an onsite service coordinator.

“The service coordinator is sort of like a linchpin between the resident and services in the community,” Harris says. “They can help the resident find resources in the community – everything from Medicare, Medicaid, help with information, and supportive health services.”

Currently, The Birches at Chambers in Ulster and the Birches at Esopus in Ulster Park are two ADA-compliant, affordable housing facilities resembling market-rate housing. Amenities in the average rental price of about $750 per month include fitness trainers in the onsite fitness studio, a movie theater, community rooms, a library, fully equipped computer labs with Internet access, and craft rooms. Additionally, The Birches at Chambers is anticipating LEED Platinum certification and has been certified as a NYUSERDA Energy $mart Building. “It’s not what people expect to see for affordable housing,” says K.J. McIntyre, director of marketing for Birchez Associates, LLC.

Most recently, Birchez Associates has received initial funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York to build affordable senior housing onto the Elant campus, a nursing home in Fishkill. This will be another ADA-compliant facility. “With the service of Elant close at hand, we can offer additional home health and nursing care as needed, while our residents continue to live in their homes, as opposed to the nursing home environment,” McIntyre says.

Birchez Associates also owns and manages two additional affordable senior housing communities. Chambers Court, completed in 2004, provides cottage-style one- and two-bedroom apartments adjacent to The Birches at Chambers in Ulster. The Birches at Saugerties is another affordable senior community completed in 2006 with 60 garden-style apartments. . . .

Seniors who need assistance finding affordable housing can contact their local Office for the Aging, where they can be provided with additional consultation about affordable housing as well as Active Adult Communities that specially reserve units for affordable housing.

Photo: The Birches at Esopus

Excerpted from the full article, Affordable Housing Trends: Redefining Affordable, in the Boomer’s Guide to Living 2010 published by Schein Media (Kingston, NY)

The publication is currently available by clicking here.

Senior complex dedicated in Ulster

Friday, July 9th, 2010

By Michael Novinson, Times Herald-Record, 7/9/2010

ULSTER — Boca on the Hudson?

Between a 50-seat movie theater with plush, reclining seats, a fitness studio with a trainer certified in physical therapy, and a mahogany-paneled game room that looks and presumably smells like the library from the board game Clue, The Birches at Chambers seems like an elegant, exclusive community.

“I feel like I live in Florida again, except that the ocean isn’t nearby,” said Birches resident Margrit Salimone, who spent 23 years in the Sunshine State.

But The Birches at Chambers, in the Town  of Ulster, isn’t an affluent, gated  community — it’s an affordable senior  housing complex, with monthly rents  ranging from $331 to $862. The $16  million complex has 14 two-bedroom  apartments, 52 one-bedroom apartments  and about 75 residents.

U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, state Sen. John Bonacic and Ulster County Executive Michael Hein spoke at the formal dedication of The Birches at Chambers on Thursday, but the complex was filled long before then. In fact, the complex was fully rented by the February 2009 groundbreaking ceremony, thanks to a 400-person waiting list at the adjacent Chambers Court, said Birches founder Steve Aaron.

People 62 or older — or under that age with a disability — with an annual gross income of less than $29,480 for a single person can live in The Birches at Chambers.

Even though the complex is Aaron’s fifth affordable living community to open in the past half-decade, he doesn’t plan on stopping now. Several dedication speakers mentioned a proposed senior complex in Fishkill.

At The Birches, no detail is left unpolished. Chambers resident Candy Belles said fellowresidents were unnerved by footsteps outside their rooms late at night. To quell their fears, Aaron had his security guards don bright yellow T-shirts.

“We’ve added years to these folks’ lives,”  Aaron said.

mnovinson@th-record.com                              Photo:    Candy Belles and Rabbi Yitzchok Hecht share a laugh in Belles’ new apartment at The Birches at Chambers in the Town of Ulster on Thursday. A dedication ceremony took place earlier at the state-of-the-art senior living community. CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record also credit for introductory photo.

$1.4 Million Grant towards The Birches at Fishkill Announced

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

June 19, 2010 – The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”), along with Congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY-22) and Congressman John Hall (NY-19), have announced that Elant, Inc. has been awarded a $1,440,000 Affordable Housing Program (“AHP”) grant from the FHLBNY and its member, Rhinebeck Savings Bank. The grant will help fund construction of The Birches at Fishkill, a planned 72-unit housing community for low-income seniors, to be developed by Birchez Associates, LLC.

“This Affordable Housing Program grant will help bring much-needed senior housing to our region,” said Congressman Hinchey. “The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Elant and Birchez Associates have long been supporters of affordable housing across the Hudson Valley; this grant continues their commitment to the community.”

“Improving services for our seniors continues to be one of my top priorities,” said Congressman Hall. “With assistance from this Federal Home Loan Bank of New York grant, the Birches at Fishkill will not only create more than 70 affordable homes for Fishkill’s seniors, but will also provide residents with the support and care they deserve.”

“The Federal Home Loan Bank of New York is proud to partner with our member, Rhinebeck Savings Bank, to help make this affordable housing a reality for the seniors in Fishkill,” said Alfred A. DelliBovi, president and CEO of the FHLBNY. “We are grateful to Congressmen Hinchey and Hall for their leadership and support in Congress, which allows us to offer this program to the housing groups that are strengthening communities across the region.”

The Birches of Fishkill complex will consist of 62 one-bedroom and 10 two-bedroom apartments. The units will be targeted to low-income senior citizens and will provide a continuum of care.  Elant, Inc., a leading Hudson Valley not-for-profit organization providing healthcare and housing programs, will collaborate to provide rehabilitation services, adult foster family care, and long-term home health care to the residents. Birchez Associates, an award-winning developer and manager of affordable senior housing in the Hudson Valley, is again partnering with Elant, Inc., to develop The Birches at Fishkill.

“This is a significant piece of the financing for this much needed development,” said Steve Aaron, Managing Member of Birchez Associates LLC, the developer of the planned project. “We are particularly encouraged in this economic climate that both Congressman Hinchey and Congressman Hall continue to champion the need for affordable housing. And we appreciate the continued financial support of Alfred DelliBovi and his team at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York,” said Aaron. This will be the sixth time the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York has participated in the financing of a Birchez Associates’ community in the Hudson Valley (www.Birchez.com).

The grant is part of a total of $29.7 million in AHP subsidies that the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York will award in conjunction with the approval of the first competitive application round of 2010.  In total, these grants will help to finance the creation of 54 housing projects that will generate 2,917 units of affordable housing in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Last year, the Federal Home Loan Bank System celebrated the 20th Anniversary of its Affordable Housing Program. Earlier this month, the program was recognized by the National Housing Conference as its “Housing Person of the Year”. The Federal Home Loan Banks have distributed nearly $4 billion in AHP funds since 1990.

About Birchez Associates LLC

Birchez Associates LLC, a Hudson Valley real estate development and management company, is widely recognized for providing senior citizens with homes they can afford in supportive communities where they can age in place. Birchez fosters strategic partnerships with leaders in the service provider industry such as Elant, Inc. The firm recently completed The Birches at Chambers in the town of Ulster with 66 units, of which 8 are handicapped accessible and the balance are all handicapped ready. The Birches at Esopus, completed last year with 80 units, has been voted Project of the Year – Upstate by the New York Association for Affordable Housing. At the ribbon cutting, the project was recognized by New York State Energy Research & Development Agency as an Energy $mart Building, the first new construction low-rise multifamily to receive the designation. The community is currently one of four national finalists in the Affordable Housing Finance magazine’s Readers Choice Awards. Other Birchez Associates communities include The Birches at Saugerties and Chambers Court, both affordable senior housing communities, and Birchwood Village designed for work-force housing. www.Birchez.com

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Birchez Associates LLC

K.J. McIntyre, Director of Marketing, 845-532-7528

KJMcIntyre@Birchez.com