Senior housing unit opens in Lake Stevens

Published 8:44 pm Sunday, September 27, 2009

LAKE STEVENS — Beverly Schaffron was staying with a friend in Monroe who had six animals and ran a day-care operation for nine children.

“I really wanted my own place,” she said.

Now, she’s got it. The 71-year-old qualified for reduced rent senior housing and in July moved into brand-new Hawkins House in Lake Stevens.

“I just absolutely love it here,” she said. “I’m a walker, I walk every place.”

Hawkins House, a three-story, 39-unit building at 9433 N. Davies Road, opened in July. All but 10 of the units are now occupied, and all are spoken for. A dedication ceremony was held last week.

The $6.5 million building was financed with a combination of federal, state and county funds. Snohomish County bought slightly more than an acre of formerly wooded, vacant property near Frontier Village from the Hawkins family for about $800,000, officials said.

The building is run by Senior Services of Snohomish County, a nonprofit agency that operates primarily on government funding. The Mukilteo-based organization runs 17 buildings around the county.

People age 62 and older are eligible to live in the building. By federal rules, their income can’t be more than 50 percent of the median family income for the area, roughly $28,000, said Janet Duncan, development director for Senior Services. Residents pay 30 percent of their income for rent.

The building was advertised last spring and seniors were given several weeks to apply for residence.

Patricia Schultz, 72, stood at a post office counter to make sure her application was postmarked before she left. She was living in a subsidized, privately run senior complex in Kenmore that was not well kept, she said.

“I was tired of vacuuming the halls myself because I couldn’t stand the dirt,” Schultz said.

Now, she’s in a better building and closer to her family, she said.

A paid manager lives at Hawkins House and a maintenance manager is assigned to the building. Residents are on their own for meals, but a community room on the main floor provides space for potlucks and group activities.

The building is just down the street from the Frontier Village shopping center. Dorothy Frye, 82, moved to the building from Spokane. Her daughter lives six minutes away, shops at the nearby supermarket and drops groceries off at Frye’s new apartment, she said.

Each of the units has one bedroom in about 550 square feet. Frye, who uses a walker, likes the open floor plan better than the one in her senior building in Spokane.

“It just seems to be easier to get around,” she said.

The building also has a more personal feel to it than larger complexes, some residents say.

“We can actually get to know everyone who lives in this building,” Schultz said.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.