This year, Springwell’s Supportive Housing Program, funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs, has expanded into Northborough housing sites at Colonial Village and Heritage Village, and to Hudson housing sites at Brigham Circle and Norma Oliver Village.

Supportive housing partnerships like these offer adults aged 60 and older, as well as people with disabilities, a range of services on-site to promote healthy aging in place. Each location has a dedicated Springwell Care Coordinator offering regular office hours for residents, as well as activities to promote community and socialization. Twenty-four hour a day emergency coverage is also provided to residents through a contracted vendor. Finally, integral to the program is a congregate meal site which provides on-site lunch Monday through Friday and a ‘to-go’ option for the weekends.

“On-site supportive services enhance the quality of life for residents and provide access to programs and benefits that help them to remain as independent and self-sufficient in their homes for as long as possible,“ says Cristina Bryant, Springwell Housing Program Manager. “Care Coordinators are an accessible, friendly link for residents to support their physical, social, and mental well-being. We are thrilled to be offering these services in Hudson and Northborough.”

Care coordinators are available to help residents access community resources such as home care or personal care and Medicare counseling for public health benefits. They also plan social, health, and wellness activities for residents and arrange congregate meals. The coordinators help to foster stability and a sense of community at each property and provide an important link between the tenants and the housing authority. There is no cost to residents for the Care Coordinators’ services.

On recent visits to Heritage Village and Norma Oliver Village, residents were enthusiastic about the program coming to their housing development. One resident shared that, “Springwell has been wonderful. Lea is so accessible and has brought so many opportunities for me to get out and socialize.” Another shared that the meal site has been a positive addition, noting that, “the food has been surprisingly good!” Residents Annette Begin and Michael Haggerty, pictured above, are long-time sweethearts who met at Norma Oliver Village. They are enthusiastic about any activity that they can do together.

Springwell has Care Coordinators at nine senior housing sites across our greater Boston and MetroWest service area through other supportive housing and congregate housing contracts with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, as well as through our Care Connections program working directly with housing sites