Housing effort marks 20th year

The non-profit corporation sponsored by the Diocese recently began its 20th year of managing subsidized housing for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Its mission, said executive director Sister Grace Diaz, SNJM, is "to enable residents to live with dignity and independence by providing secure and affordable housing."

That mission began two decades ago when a parish council member at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Albany suggested converting the former Vincentian Institute, a Catholic high school that had closed, into senior housing.

The Diocese agreed to sponsor the project partially because the funding required was available only to non-profit sponsors, Sister Grace said, but also because "providing shelter is one of the corporal works of mercy."

With the help of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and then-Albany mayor Erastus Corning, the building became St. Vincent's Apartments, and what was then known as DePaul Management Corporation was founded to oversee it.

Over the years, eight more facilities were opened through HUD, all subsidized under Section 8 of the Rental Assistance Program: Bishop Broderick Apartments in Albany, Bishop Hubbard Senior Apartments in Clifton Park, Branson Manor Senior Apartments in Rensselaer, Cabrini Acres Senior Apartments in Watervliet, Marie-Rose Manor in Slingerlands, St. Jude Apartments in Wynantskill and Sanderson Court Senior Apartments in Latham.

Today, approximately 520 elderly or mobility-impaired residents live independently in the buildings. All qualify because of their extremely low, fixed incomes. Sister Grace noted that many female residents never worked outside their homes and pre-date the advent of Social Security benefits, so living in a DePaul residence is the only option that allows them to have money for groceries and gifts for their grandchildren.

"One of the things that's really clear to me is that we're not a real-estate agency," Sister Grace said of DePaul Housing. "Our purpose is to recognize that it's the whole person who's being served."

Since its inception, DePaul was made changes to better fulfill that promise. One example is the addition of service coordinators who do "case management" with residents. If a resident is hospitalized and then returns home, the director noted, service coordinators may help her to deal with the deluge of hospital forms and bills, arrange for Meals on Wheels to deliver food temporarily or assist in finding home care.

Residents' spiritual needs are met by Sister Mary Anne Rodgers, CSJ, pastoral care associate for all the DePaul buildings and another addition to the DePaul staff. Sister Mary Anne not only commemorates religious holidays for Catholic and non-Catholic residents alike, but even offers such services as grief counseling for new residents upset by the loss of their former homes and neighborhoods.

"When somebody is in a situation that's no longer safe for them, coming to our housing is going to improve their living situation," Sister Grace stated.

DePaul Housing is marking its 20th anniversary with several events, most notably a name change from "DePaul Management Corporation" to "DePaul Housing Management" to better reflect its mission. (Sister Grace joked that she was also tired of getting calls for the DePaula Chevrolet car dealership.) Next October, a "sock hop" at St. Vincent's Apartments is planned for Vincentian Institute alumni and DePaul residents.

The corporation is also looking toward the future. Sister Grace hopes to see DePaul expand to provide senior housing in rural areas as well as to provide more housing for middle-income seniors. Often, she said, such potential residents have too high an income to live in a DePaul building, but cannot afford more expensive housing.

Noted the director: "It's a challenge we're hoping to meet."

(DePaul Housing Management is selling a 1999 calendar featuring photos and stories of residents from across the Diocese. The price is not yet set. For information on the calendar or DePaul Housing, call 459-0183.)

(11-19-98) [[In-content Ad]]