Affordable housing taking shape at busy intersection

LACONIA – Workers were busy this week on a $3 million project to transform a vacant downtown office building to 16 apartment units offering affordable senior independent living with supportive services.

That project and the revitalization and rebranding of the Landmark Hotel along with the refurbishment of the Melcher & Prescott Insurance building are changing the face of the Main Street-Union Avenue intersection, the gateway to downtown.

The new name for the Landmark Inn will be Best Western Plus. It is expected to reopen next month after having undergone major exterior and interior upgrades.

Refurbishment work at the insurance company provides exterior columns and cornices reminiscent of the Craftsman era of architecture. Interior work includes a brighter, more efficient and open layout.

Richard Weaver, executive director of Laconia Housing, said the Sunrise House apartment building and the 98-unit Sunrise Tower next door will be connected with a sidewalk and outdoor living spaces, creating a 2-acre unified campus.

Income qualifications apply at both buildings, but the Sunrise House will also have four market-rate units that will cost $2,800 per month, which includes two meals daily and a supportive services package.

Otherwise, the maximum yearly income maximum for Sunrise Towers and Sunrise House is $28,600 for a one-person household, which represents 50 percent of the median income. Both buildings are for people 62 or older. However, a person less than 62 years of age is eligible for Sunrise Towers if they are disabled.

The waiting list for Sunrise Towers is about 18 months.

Laconia Housing administrative offices will be moved out of the Sunrise Towers and into available commercial space at the Tavern Inn Apartments adjacent to the Laconia Senior Center on Church Street. Improvements planned at the towers, built in 1969, include more common space, new furniture, flooring, window treatments and lighting.

Weaver said his organization, formerly called the Laconia Housing Authority, is working to provide housing and supportive services that will allow people to live independently rather than have to enter a nursing home at greater expense and a reduced quality of life.

“The population of New Hampshire is not forecast to grow significantly but the population is aging, a trend that is even more pronounced in Laconia,” he said. “In fact, New Hampshire’s median age is regularly among the top three oldest states, even older than Florida.

Typical supportive home health costs for a Sunrise Tower resident is about $2,500 per month, compared to typical nursing home costs of about $9,500 a month. This equates to monthly savings to Medicaid of about $7,000 per resident.

Laconia Housing has two programs in place to support lower income residents who can live independently if they have access to supportive services such as help in bathing and dressing. Those who qualify for Medicaid can access these programs.

Thomas Cochran, deputy executive director at Laconia Housing, said social interaction is important for seniors.

“That’s a benefit for this kind of environment,” he said in a conference room at the Sunrise Towers. “You’re in a residential setting. You’re not sitting in an apartment. There is community. There is involvement of other tenants. You’ve got people checking in on you during the week.”

Project financing came from the state Housing Finance Authority sourced from the federal Housing Trust Fund and state Affordable Housing Fund, a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, an amortizing loan from the Bank of New Hampshire and a contribution from the Laconia Housing Local Programs.