Senior housing demands being met in Springfield

By Tony Zerucha

The RM of Springfield is partnering with a pair of community groups to address the current and future housing needs for seniors in the municipality.

Springfield Heritage Housing Inc. (SHHI) consists of representatives from the RM, Dugald Place Housing Co-operative and Springfield Seniors Non-Profit Housing Co-op. Its maiden project will be to build Dugald Place, the planned assisted living residence located at Dugald Estates.

“Our seniors are the backbone of our community and our goal is to keep them near their families and their social networks where they want to be as they grow older” said Springfield Mayor Tiffany Fell. “We are starting with Dugald Place since the project is so well advanced, but this social enterprise model gives us the potential to branch out to our other Springfield com- munities in the future.”

SHHI will be led by a six-person board of directors comprised of three Springfield municipal councillors and three community members. The chair is Lesley Thomson, who was active in the development of Dugald Estates and the proposed Dugald Place. Joining her will be Fell, Couns. Peter Williams and Glen Fuhl and community members Randy Williams and Bev Zarazun.

Thomson said development of Dugald Place is well underway. An architect and project manager have been consulted along with a consultant who has assisted several Manitoba communities with developing similar initiatives. With the former co-operative being dissolved all people who paid deposits have been contacted with refunds issued or transfers made to the new entity.

According to the 2016 census there were 840 people aged 75 or older in the RM. With five to 10 percent of people as a benchmark for needing assisted living Springfield should require between 42 and 84 seniors assisted living units, Thomson said. A 2019 analysis of senior living facilities in Springfield showed a 90-person collective waiting list.

“In May 2018 we sent out a survey to 5,000 residents in the RM of Springfield,” Thomson said. “There (was) a broad level of support for the development of assisted living units in the RM... and 80 per cent indicated they would be interested in liv- ing in such a project within the next 10 years. Meal service was the primary service sought by respondents.”

Thomson said some current residents of the adjacent Dugald Estates may eventually need to move into an assisted living facility, and having one in their existing community would make the transition much simpler. Two additional seniors condo complexes in Dugald could also have residents needing such a transition in coming years.

But seniors from across Springfield and beyond will be welcome to move in, Thomson said.

“The focus is on the entire municipality,” Thomson said. “The board has not only recognized the need in Oakbank and Anola, but appropriately-sized senior housing options for smaller communities like Hazelridge and Vivian, not to mention the potential to work with neighbouring municipalities.”

The public will be able to share their thoughts once life returns to normal, Thomson promised.

“It is our goal (when COVID restrictions ease) to hold public meetings to provide more information related to future develop- ments in the municipality.”