WILTON — It seemed a match made in heaven when Beverly Weed first came across the newly opened congregate housing in Wilton Commons in 2016.
The 77-year-old had been living alone in her Norwalk home since her sister had moved to Wilton Meadows for help with her dementia, and she figured it was about time to downsize.
The new units were close to her sister, whom she visited each day, and there was no waiting list — a rarity in Fairfield County, where some assisted-living facilities have waiting lists up to six years. Most importantly, the units were affordable.
Last week, Weed and other residents of the 23-unit facility learned the low prices that lured them to Wilton Commons were indeed too good to be true.
The unexpected announcement has some residents worrying that rising costs will force them out of their new homes.
“I feel like they’re just putting us out to pasture,” said 82-year-old Philomena Ferraro, who moved into the complex in October 2016.
“They hoodwinked us into coming here with low prices and now they’re forcing these increases on us, all the while knowing we won’t be able to find another place on six months’ notice,” said 80-year-old Silvia Sartow.
Mike Santoro, the director of policy and research for the state Department of Housing, said the state had been over-subsidizing occupants of the congregate housing for the first year-and-a-half it was open, due to an error in calculation by the Wilton Commons management company, Connecticut Housing Partners.
“There isn’t any good way to share this news,” said Renée Dobos, the CEO of Connecticut Housing Partners, formerly known as the Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut.
“Some residents will be paying less, some will be paying the same, and some will be paying more, as it’s dependent on their income and ability to pay. I want to stress that not every resident will experience an increase. Our preliminary calculations are suggesting approximately one-third of the residents will experience an increase,” she said.
While rents would likely dip for most residents under new calculations, the congregate fees for weekly housekeeping services, such as a one daily hot meal, 24-hour emergency staffing, on-site health and nutritional services, is another matter.
According to preliminary projections, Weed’s congregate costs will jump from $78 to $1,271 per month — a 1,529-percent increase. And at least seven other residents are facing a similar jump in costs.
While Connecticut Housing Partners stated that these estimates are based off 2016 figures and are due to be updated by May, many residents are worried adjustments won’t be enough.
‘Like losing a second family’
When Weed first learned of the potential price hikes, she said she was “broken-hearted.”
Weed had moved to Wilton Commons from her Norwalk home of more than 40 years in order to be closer to her sister, Dorothy. But in October, Dorothy passed away after a long battle with dementia.
The loss was particularly hard on her, Weed said. Both sisters had been unmarried and had lived together their whole lives. In their later years, the two took to traveling around the world, visiting places from the Grand Canyon to Alaska, and Bermuda.
But Dorothy’s sudden death left Weed with an unmistakable void in her life — a hole she had only recently begun trying to fill with her new friends in Wilton Commons. But just as she was beginning to open that new chapter in her life, Weed fears it may be coming to an abrupt end because of circumstances that are outside her hands.
“It’s like they’re taking away my second family. All of these people don’t know if they’ll be able to afford living here anymore, and it just breaks my heart,” Weed said.
Some residents have already begun looking for other housing options in the area, but they said the options are slim. Waiting lists at affordable assisted-living facilities in the area, such as the Marvin Home in Norwalk, are up to two-and-a-half to three years long.
“Every place we’ve looked at has a waiting list six years long, and they are only giving us six months to try and find a new place. It’s just unfair,” said 88-year-old Anne Planinsek, who moved to the Wilton Commons from Maryland along with her 77-year-old husband, Louis.
credit:thehour.com