Area agencies have begun signing up to participate in the proposed senior living center near the Washington County Home.

If approved, the senior housing, tentatively called Buckeye Fields, will be built on 65 acres of land owned by the Washington County Commission, but leased by Buckeye Hills Support Services (BHSS).

BHSS is a collaboration project between Buckeye Hills Regional Council and Washington County Job and Family Services. The organization will do all the contracting work with area agencies.

The group applied for a grant from the Ohio Housing Authority in order to finance the 60-70-unit project. The grant requires the partners to take on a private investor that would help finance the construction. In return, the investor would receive a guaranteed 9 percent return on their investment over 15 years. The application was rejected last year.

It was applied for again this year, as some of the Ohio Housing Authority rules have changed and the tentative approval will be sent in April, Freimann said.

The tax credit would be used to entice investors to fund $5.5 million of the project. A total of approximately $6.6 million would pay for the total construction.

If the application fails and the 9 percent tax credit isn’t available, the 55-year lease the Buckeye Hills Support Services signed with the Washington County Commission becomes null and void.

Those who have already signed memos of understanding to contract with BHSS are Job and Family Services, Washington-Morgan Community Action, the O’Neill Center, Area Agency on Aging, Ohio Means Jobs and Adult Protective Services.

JFS Director Flite Freimann explained that this senior housing project is unique in the way it would be set up.

“A limited partnership was formed with the general partner of Buckeye Hills Support Services and Joe Recchie (developer with the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging),” he said.

He said the low-income senior center would house 64 residents who will pay approximately $341 per month in rent. This would generate $261,000 per year, to be paid to the limited partnership. Part of the money would go to BHSS and part would go to Recchie for his work with the project.

The limited partnership will contract with BHSS, which will work with area agencies.

BHSS Executive Director Rick Hindman said one of the innovative parts of the project is how agencies offer programs to help with staffing costs.

“A support services coordinator will contract with Buckeye Hills Regional Council for things like IT and administrative work,” Freimann said.

BHSS would also contract with JFS to hire a maintenance director, who would help provide individuals with work for practical experience, such as doing the housing development’s yard work. Federal funding through programs such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program, and the SNAP Employment and Training, would pay for the director, Freimann added.

Hindman said the local Area Agency on Aging would provide supports and services to the seniors such as meals, service coordination, care management, linkage to health systems, transitional care, wellness programming, socialization, legal assistance and counseling.

Freimann explained the housing development would offer a la carte services from participating agencies.

“They can use one, none or a mixture of services,” he said. “They are the same services other seniors use, only it will be in one location.”

Seniors who need to leave the development for appointments or shopping would have options available to them.

Freimann explained the Area Agency on Aging has Title III funding for transportation and JFS offers non-emergency medical transportation. BHSS is contracting with O’Neill Center so seniors can use their vans to travel to the center’s Fourth Street location, and the development could become a stop on the CABL bus line.

Freimann said now the agencies work independently and sometimes cross paths while picking seniors up around the county.

“That’s why we’re hiring a mobility manager to coordinate the transportation,” he added.

Hindman said along with providing services through the Area Agency on Aging, they will serve as a transportation resource in its role as a Rural Transportation Planning Organization.

“As an RTPO, the BHRC works with the Ohio Department of Transportation and local officials to engage purposefully in local transportation decisions and planning,” he said. “In addition, the BHRC is in the process of hiring a mobility manager who will focus on improving awareness of, coordinating, and delivering transit services to Washington County.”

There are two agencies which are interested in participating, but since the housing project will not be built this fiscal year even if funding is secured, they won’t contract until closer to the time the project would be finished.

Title V has no formal agreement yet, but when they do, federal money will pay for a coordinator to help seniors find work that won’t affect the amount of money they get from Social Security. SNAP ED will also possibly contract at a later date.

“They receive funding to help people plan, purchase and prepare meals,” Freimann said. “They can help (seniors) manage their SNAP budget.”

This $9 million project will have approximately $8.5 million in private investments.

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Participating agencies in senior

housing project:

¯ Job and Family Services

¯ Washington-Morgan Community Action.

¯ O’Neill Center.

¯ Area Agency on Aging.

¯ Ohio Means Jobs.

¯ Adult Protective Services.

Source: Buckeye Hills Support Services.