Millcreek • Christmastime can carry a long to-do list — visit family, send cards, share gifts, attend parties, bake goodies — that ultimately brings joy.
But for residents of an assisted living facility in Millcreek, this Yuletide includes an unexpected, even unpleasant, chore: Find a new place to live.
In a Dec. 15 letter, The Haven at Millcreek, 1871 E. 3300 South, informed residents the center would be shutting its doors and would need them to move out within 30 days.
“It has been a privilege serving you and your loved ones,” co-owner Brad Oliverson wrote, “and we will work diligently on our end to make this transition as smooth as possible for all of you.”
Nonprofit homeless services provider Switchpoint put in an offer to buy the building but won’t close on the property until February, according to the organization’s executive director, Carol Hollowell. The plan, she said, is to host mental health housing with permanent supportive services.
Among those who will have to find a new home is Robert Hunter’s 96-year-old mother, Patricia Washburn, who has lived at the facility for several years. As of early Wednesday afternoon, Hunter was bracing for higher costs.
“I’m sure,” he said at the time, “we’re going to have to pay a whole bunch more.”
By Thursday, he said his mother found a new place to live but he was unsure of the cost difference.
How The Haven is helping residents move on
In a separate statement, The Haven at Millcreek said it is trying to avoid saddling residents with inflated living costs.
“We have negotiated with four nearby communities,” it said, “that will offer move-in specials to our residents, which, in most cases, won’t cost them anything more.”
Those offers were presented with the notice to vacate, it added, and many residents had already made their decision.
The facility said hundreds of thousands of dollars have been pumped into building improvements and staffing, but with hard economic times and not being able to increase rates to offset financial strains, officials were forced to look into selling or closing the center.
The purchase contract was completed last week, the statement said, and a notice to vacate went out as soon as building owners knew.
“We will continue to be involved in this process and will do so until everyone has found an acceptable place,” The Haven said. “We also realize that 30 days might not be enough time for some with more needs, which we have allowed for. We will not move someone out without a place to go.”
The company said current employees may be able to stay at the building when it changes hands.
Millcreek busts rumors
In a Monday email, Francis Xavier Lilly, Millcreek’s planning director and assistant city manager, notified the City Council, Planning Department, city department heads and Unified Police Department Millcreek Precinct Chief Christine Petty-Brown that rumors were swirling about the future plans for the building.
Switchpoint, Lilly said, intends to continue operating the building as an assisted living facility. The plan is to offer 43 beds that would serve men and women who are either homeless now or at risk of becoming homeless and who need help with daily living.
“They are not changing the character of the property,” he wrote. “They are not increasing the number of beds. The land use of the property as an assisted living facility will remain the same.”
The center, Lilly insisted, will not serve as a homeless shelter, and the decision to close The Haven was out of the city’s hands. The city has no basis to deny a permit, he wrote, because the existing use will not change, and the residents are legally protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The addition of permanent supportive housing meets a critical need in our community,” he wrote. “Provided that there is good management and good controls, the property … will continue to operate as an assisted living facility, and we shouldn’t notice any significant difference from how the facility has been operated in the past.”
Lilly added that Switchpoint will be required to apply for a use permit and intends to hold a neighborhood meeting next month.
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