SLI board signs agreement with Office of Rural Farmworker Housing

CHELAN – A $52,000 grant from the legislature was received by the Campus of Care Task Force of the Senior Living Initiative program – the monies will be covering “soft costs” of the land purchase such as appraisals, hazardous waste inspections as well as feasibility studies.

Amanda Ballou of the Task Force said that the grant money received was due to the help from Rep. Mike Steele. At the same time, the Task Force board was pursuing a proposal from the Office of Rural Farmworker Housing (ORFH) that offers development services for projects in central Washington. “They do a lot of affordable housing, including some independent living,” said Ballou. She said they have a handful of projects in the Yakima area and they consider seniors to be part of their mission. Ballou reported that their proposal was accepted by the board and will start with feasibility work. OFRH will also work with lenders in terms of financing, plus they will negotiate the property acquisition and will move forward into the development of the facility. “It is a pretty comprehensive agreement we have signed with them. For us it is a nice reassurance … their heart is in central Washington, we fill very well aligned,” said Ballou.

So far, the board has had two meetings with ORFH and have already started looking at demand numbers. Conference calls with two different lenders have also been set up and applications for land financing are in process.

Ballou reminded all present that the board already has settled on a property and there are active negotiations for it taking place.

During the Senior Living Initiative meeting on July 9, Community Nurse Susie Zimmer reported that Jenny Farias is currently shadowing her and will be helping her with blood pressure screenings. Zimmer also stated that she will be applying for the Community Health Initiative grant coming up shortly and will start focusing her attention on fundraising efforts for next year.

Claudia Swenson and Kathy Miller of Tender Loving Care for Seniors also had a few updates. Swenson said that the TLC crew presented to Lake Chelan Rotary which came forward with a $4,500 donation. The donation will be used for the 2020 budget said Miller, both also mentioned that they will be applying for Community Health Initiative grant as well.