DePaul Housing marks 25 years of building connections

DePaul Housing Management will mark its 25th anniversary with a cruise on the Hudson aboard the Dutch Apple, a brand-new Rotterdam residence and promises for the future.

DePaul is a housing alternative for low-income senior citizens sponsored by the Albany Diocese.

"We're landlords -- with a little plus," said E. Byrl Moore, DePaul's director of compliance and communications.

Genesis

In 1979, members of St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany -- including Rev. Leo O'Brien, pastor, and Sister Joan Byrne, SNJM, -- had an idea for filling Vincentian Institute, a school that had closed a few years earlier.

The concept was to build apartment homes for low-income seniors who had few options in a high-cost world.

"I consulted with a group of senior citizens about what to do," said Sister Joan. "They brought me articles [about how] this had been done in other dioceses. We had never done anything like this. We had to feel our way and rely on the expertise of other dioceses -- and the good will of both the civic and the Church community here in Albany."

First steps

The Diocese, the City of Albany and St. Vincent's secured funding from the federal government and signed a contractor -- L.A. Swyer, Co., of Albany, which would become involved in the construction of every DePaul building to follow.

"The intention was always that this would go on beyond the parish," said Sister Joan, "and it certainly did."

DePaul now operates 14 buildings in five counties (Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady and Delaware), boasting hundreds of residents.

Who's inside?

The average DePaul resident, according to the company's director of operations, Jill McClellan-Phelps, moves into his or her new home when they are in their mid-seventies. She believes they are attracted by the "safe, active, independent lifestyle" promised in DePaul's mission statement.

"They want a place where they can be independent and safe," Mrs. Moore added. "They're past being homeowners, but they want to lead their own lives in the community they've always been involved with."

Connections

Parishes, which often spark the creation of DePaul housing, remain linked to the lives of residents once they move in:

* at St. Jude the Apostle School in Wynantskill, programs link resident seniors and schoolchildren;

* students from St. Thomas School in Delmar perform talent shows for residents at Marie Rose Manor; and

* at St. Mary's Church in Crescent, parishioners "adopt" residents at the Bishop Hubbard apartments for Christmas.

Sister Joan, treasurer of DePaul's board of operations, has been proud of the way DePaul has "made it a point to cultivate the good will of the community wherever the building is located. That's a hallmark of the corporation."

New site

The newest DePaul residence is under construction in Rotterdam; when completed, it will be named after Father O'Brien.

According to Ms. McClellan-Phelps, the building will have an open layout, computer-access for the growing number of residents with computers, an extra laundry room, regular visits by social workers, a live-in service coordinator, regular parties and activities, 24-hour maintenance, buses to shopping and trips, tenant meetings, and educational sessions.

There's a waiting list for the site; DePaul received more than 300 applications for the 49-unit building.

More to come

DePaul hopes to keep expanding its mission to serve the elderly by constructing buildings for low-income seniors; enlarging programs for mid-income seniors, such as assisted-living facilities; and planning for other eventualities, such as the wish of suburban baby-boomers to "age in place."

"Our goal is to keep our residents for as long as possible," said Ms. McClellan-Phelps. "It comes back to our mission -- providing a dedicated staff that takes a lot of pride in the community. We're proud of the fact that we've been able to offer such quality housing."

"Whatever we can get for [our residents], we get for them," vowed Mrs. Moore.

(8/12/04)