September 29, 2011 (Boston, Massachusetts) -- In honor of RHF’s fiftieth anniversary, Dr. Laverne Joseph, President and CEO of RHF, visited Massachusetts this week for a whirlwind tour of RHF’s communities across the state. Celebrations, bringing together residents, staff, and federal, state, and local officials were held at the following locations:
September 26, 2011:
Binnall House, 126 Connors Street - Gardner, MA
Pine Crest, 419 East River Street - Orange, MA
September 27, 2011:
Boston Common, 148 Tremont Street - Boston, MA
September 28, 2011:
Seabury Heights, 240 Belmont Street - Worcester, MA
Riverside Village, 24 State Street - Leominster, MA
September 29, 2011:
Douglas House, 20 Haverhill Street - Brockton, MA
Each celebration included presentations by Dr. Joseph and Richard Henken, Schochet’s president, speeches by local dignitaries, resident testimonials, dining, and live music.
The week’s highlight was a Tuesday morning event hosted on Boston Common for residents of Symphony Plaza, the Stearns, and Mason Place, which house nearly 700 low income Boston seniors. Among the featured speakers were Congressman Michael Capuano; State Representative (and Housing Committee Chair) Kevin Honan; Mayor Thomas Menino’s director of Neighborhood Development Evelyn Friedman; Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley; and Council President Steve Murphy. A representative from United Sates Senator Scott Brown’s office presented RHF with a congratulatory proclamation as did Councilor Murphy.
In his remarks, Congressman Capuano reminded the crowd of more than two hundred people that affordable housing development and preservation results from solid public/private partnerships like the ones that have successfully preserved RHF’s Massachusetts portfolio.
Since 2001 Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF), with its local partner Schochet Associates, has successfully acquired, and preserved as affordable, nearly 2,000 apartments in twelve Massachusetts communities. While many of these developments were once at risk of market conversion, present and future residents can now rest assured that their homes will remain affordable for the long term.