The Rona Barrett Foundation’s Golden Inn & Village received a significant boost toward its completion in the form of a $23 million tax credit. The announcement of the tax credit was made by Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, during a special event at Montanaro Farm in Los Olivos to honor supporters and friends of the project.
“I am so pleased that $23 million in federal tax credits will go to the Golden Inn & Village to support Central Coast seniors as envisioned by the Rona Barrett Foundation and the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara,” Capps said.
Fred Lamont, the housing authority’s executive director, explained the scope of the announcement.
“This award means that for every $1 a supporter donates to the campaign for the GIV, it is estimated that $23 will be returned in community dividends in the form of local jobs, local salaries and local expenditures for equipment, transportation and supplies,” he said.
Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Doreen Farr, who has been a major advocate of the GIV since its inception, shared that in her experience as a supervisor, “This project has received strong and enthusiastic support from the community, county staff, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. This is a tribute to the careful planning and thought that has gone into the project from the beginning and the pressing need it will fill in the valley.”
Alice Gillaroo, chairwoman of the Campaign for the GIV, for which the Rona Barrett Foundation is in the process of raising an additional $2 million in essential funds to support the GIV project, echoed Farr’s remarks.
“What a monumental achievement these tax credits are for our community,” she said. “It will soon become a priceless resource for seniors living below the poverty line, and a lasting legacy to this generous community for their perceptive articulation of a social need and providing a tangible solution. We should all be proud of this endeavor.”
“Conservative estimates show that over 50 percent of our area’s senior population is economically insecure; that is, unable to cover the cost of their most basic needs,” said Rona Barrett, president and CEO of the Rona Barrett Foundation. “On the Central Coast, including our Santa Ynez Valley, there is a greater percentage of seniors as compared to other areas of the state: 20 percent of the population is age 60 plus versus the statewide average of 14 percent and, like the rest of the state, our 85-plus age group is the fastest-growing segment of the population.”
The Golden Inn & Village is a mixed-use development in a neighborhood setting that will provide approximately 120 affordable units for low-income seniors to reside in a comfortable, supportive environment that meets their needs as they age, and 27 affordable family units, some of which may be occupied by employees of the GIV. Services will range from independent to assisted living and memory care to hospice, with staff residing on the premises and available 24 hours a day.
The programs and services provided will be coordinated in collaboration with multiple community partners and include:
» 60 independent living units for low-income seniors
» 60 units of memory care/assisted living
» Senior Community Center (with extended hours for family visits and caregiver respite)
» 27 affordable family units, some of which may be occupied by employees of the GIV
» Supportive services such as Hospice coordinated with multiple partners
» Small shops (barber, beauty shop, and other services), staff offices, drought tolerant gardens, and walking paths
The Golden Inn & Village was conceived specifically to address the needs of our senior loved ones, parents, friends, neighbors and especially orphaned seniors — those who have no one left to care for them. It is for seniors who live within our area but with resources dwindling are forced to survive on little more than Social Security. Construction on the project is slated to begin in 2015.
Click here for more information about the Golden Inn & Village, or call 805.688.8887. Click here to make an online donation.
— Kelly Kapuan of SurfMedia Communications represents the Rona Barrett Foundation.