Family Eldercare Opens Lyons Gardens Senior Housing Community to demonstrate that "A Neighborhood is a Great Place to Grow Old"

Austin, TX: Family Eldercare, elected officials and community leaders today celebrated the grand opening of Lyons Gardens, a 53-unit affordable senior housing community.

As one of Austin's newest housing options for low-income seniors, Lyons Gardens provides a fully accessible, affordable independent living community that integrates housing and services for older adults allowing them to "age in place." The one-bedroom apartments are for seniors age 62 years or older with incomes at, or below, 50 percent of the Austin Median Family Income (about $24,900 for one person). Ninety percent of the residents enrolled have incomes far lower. Their average income is approximately 30 percent of the Austin's median income ($14,950).

Residents will not pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities which allows money to be available for food, medicine and monthly expenses.

Lyons Gardens is located in the heart of central east Austin. Its zip code, 78702, has the highest concentration of seniors living in substandard housing. The senior community is conveniently located near grocery stores, Capitol Metro bus stops, Rosewood-Zaragosa Medical Center, Conley-Guerrero Senior Center and Austin Community College Eastview Campus.

"Lyons Gardens is a national model for how a community can build a beautiful, safe, affordable, supportive housing which honors the elderly through public/private partnerships. It is more than an apartment complex - it is a collaboration to bring out the best in our community," said Karen Langley, executive director of Family Eldercare.

She added "The real difference between Lyons Gardens and other senior housing communities is that support services will be managed by a service coordinator to successfully allow seniors to live out their remaining years and we will have much intergenerational volunteer collaboration that will involve the residents and the whole community."

Family Eldercare, a nonprofit that provides services to the elderly, adults with disabilities and their caregivers, is the sponsor of Lyons Gardens. Through Family Eldercare's efforts, the initial funding of $3.2 million from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was leveraged with numerous foundations, individuals and the City of Austin to raise a total of $5.6 million for the construction of the project. Family Eldercare benefactor Dorothy Shay Parsons donated the 2.63 acres of land for Lyons Gardens.

"The Topfer Family Foundation was impressed with the vision and scope of this project and committed early on to help leverage support from other foundations," said Mort Topfer.

"Lyon Gardens demonstrates how low-income senior citizens can benefit from public-private partnerships," said Jennifer Stout, senior vice president and chief officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHL Bank Dallas). "We are pleased that the FHL Bank Dallas could team with Prosperity Bank to provide a $500,000 grant that helped close the funding gap and make this project a reality," she said.

Lyons Gardens' Board Chair Dusty McCormick said, "The need for affordable senior housing is obvious - all of the units have been leased and we have 42 elderly persons on the waiting list."

According to a recent study, Aging Services Environmental Scan 2000, the number one unmet need and area of concern for older adults was the ability to afford housing and essential necessities like food, medicine and clothing. The study drove Family Eldercare's decision to become involved in the housing opportunities for low-income seniors. Seniors age 65 or older in Travis County are expected to increase from 8 percent of the populations to 20 percent by 2030.

For more information on Lyons Gardens, please call 450-0844 or visit www.familyeldercare.org. For information on leasing, please contact National Church Residences, 236-1781.

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Please call 974-3100 (voice) or 974-3102 (TDD) for assistance. This project is made possible by funding from HUD through the City of Austin.

CONTACT: Brenda Ham, (512) 974-3175 (voice)