WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Sisters of Providence, a dedicated group of Catholic women known for their commitment to volunteer work, have broken ground on Hillside Residence – a $10 million affordable housing development for “frail” elders.

The project, which started back in 2010, calls for the production of a 36-unit complex on 2112 Riverdale St. and aims to combine healthcare with safe, affordable housing for senior citizens. The apartments will be integrated with Mercy LIFE, a Program of All-inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) that offers tightly coordinated care and support designed to help seniors continue living at home. A 22,000-square-foot health and care management services program will be based on the housing campus.

On May 18, elected officials and other dignitaries joined the Sisters on campus in a traditional groundbreaking ceremony – marking the first official day of construction for the development. The long list of officials, donors and other individuals involved in Hillside’s fruition at the event included: West Springfield Mayor William Reichelt; Sen. James T. Welch; Rep. Michael J. Finn; Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development Janelle Chan; State Elder Affairs Secretary Alice Bonner; Executive Director of the Community Economic Assistance Corporation Roger Herzog; and Chairman of the West Springfield Community Preservation Committee Paul Boudo.

Around 100 people attended the groundbreaking.

During the ceremony, President of the Sisters of Providence Sister Kathleen Popko quoted renowned St. Francis of Assisi to express her feelings about  the progress of the project.

“The Journey is essential to the dream,” she said. “With hindsight, I can see the truth and wisdom of that statement. Our eight-year journey to this moment expanded and sharpened our vision, tested our determination and enlarged our circle of friends and committed supporters to this initiative. Let us work now to realize the dream.”

Many of the attendees and officials involved with the project offered their own comments as well.

Welch, who is the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, complimented the housing development and characterized it as a break-through in healthcare.

“It’s a wonderful and very innovative project. It may not feel innovative or look flashy, but it really is the next cutting-edge of healthcare here in Massachusetts – and across the country,” he expressed. “I chair the Healthcare Finance Committee at the statehouse in the Senate, and these are the types of projects we’re always looking for – we’re looking for collaborative, innovative programs that are designed in the best interest of what is best for the patient.”

The mayor added his own  opinions on Hillside, saying he believes the project will contribute to the town economically.

“I think this project isn’t just important for the residents that will eventually live here, but it’s also really important for this corner of West Springfield,” he said. “I think it will make a huge economic impact over here and really be the jolt for the whole community to begin taking another look at this area and in community development.”

For the last few years, the Holyoke-based Sisters have been working toward developing affordable housing for elders “at risk” of being placed into nursing homes. On top of providing individual units, the group is determined to incorporate comprehensive health services into the housing setup.  

At Hillside, the staff will meet weekly with the health center to stay up-to-date on the residents’ overall bill of health to prevent emergency room visits or hospitalization, explained Popko.

The campus for the 27-acre housing project straddles the West Springfield-Holyoke border. At 37,500-square-feet, Hillside will include 34 one-bedroom units whose rental subsidies would be administered by the state, while the remaining two units would be “respite apartments” for people who need intensive short-term medical care.

“The overall design is to help elders remain independent for as long as possible,” said the Sisters of Providence president.

Residents at Hillside must be 62 years or older, and the income eligibility for the units will require a person to earn 50 percent or less of the median area income – translating into a one-person family with an annual income under $28,000 or a two-person family with an income of less than $32,000 a year. The potential residents must also be able to live safely with comprehensive integrated support services, and have the cognitive ability to be able to participate with others in the program, sad Popko.

“This is an innovative program that I think will start to shape the elder health care field,” she commented. “It certainly addresses the dearths of housing in West Springfield and demonstrates a new model that is affordable and integrates with PACE. I think it’s going to be well-received.”

Building the Hillside units will help the town work toward attaining its 10 percent affordable housing goal, which is a statewide threshold that all commonwealth communities must meet. The town currently has 414 affordable units

The project is funded by both public and private entities. The Sisters previously received $2.5 million in state and federal money for the project in March 2017 – including $500,000 in federal funding from the National Housing Trust Fund and $2 million from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. In addition to the Sisters of Providence, private funds include a foundation grant received from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the West Springfield’s Community Preservation Act Commission.

The project is scheduled to finish construction in approximately one year.