Boston Senior Home Care (BSHC) was recently awarded a $10,000 Partnership Grant from the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation for a Supportive Housing program at the Blackstone Apartment Complex in downtown Boston. The program is a collaboration of BSHC, Mass General Hospital's Senior HealthWISE program, a community benefit program of MGH and the MGH Senior Health Practice, and State Street Development Management Corporation (SSDMC), the property manager.
Boston Senior Home Care will use the grant funding to support a part time On-Site Service Coordinator who will work at the Complex two full days per week. This individual will assist residents with appointments, transportation, community referrals and arranging translation services. The On-Site Coordinator will work closely with MGH and SSDMC staff to: coordinate structured social activities; identify residents who might be in need of Home Care services; and provide assistance with tenancy issues, as appropriate, in an effort to avoid eviction. The On-Site Service Coordinator will also serve as the ongoing case manager for BSHC's 62 current consumers, as well as any other residents who become consumers of Boston Senior Home Care. This entails assessing consumer needs on a regular basis, creating service plans to meet their needs, monitoring the services they receive through BSHC's contracted provider agencies, and making changes as needed
By pooling funding and resources from these three entities, frail and low income elders residing at the Blackstone complex will be provided with a model of affordable supportive housing that promotes independence and aging in place, and helps improve the quality of their lives.