St. Bernards Senior Services Division hosted a formal grand opening and ribbon cutting event recently to dedicate Benedictine Manor, a new 40-unit apartment complex for low-income senior residents in Jonesboro.
Designed especially for people 62 years of age or older who meet Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202 income guidelines, Benedictine Manor is located in the 300 block of Bridge Street on the St. Bernards Senior Services campus.
Exterior design of the two-building complex complements that of the St. Bernards Senior Life Center, another key component of the Senior Services campus. It is well secured with convenient parking and lighting and walkways connecting it to the Senior Life Center which faces Washington Avenue.
Each building has 20 one-bedroom apartments, office space and a number of common areas. Each 480-squre-foot apartment has a living/dining room, a small kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom, with some of the apartments designed as handicap-accessible units.
Qualifying residents spend no more than 30 percent of their net income on rent. The rental charge covers utilities and maintenance.
Funding for the $4 million project came from grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank, HUD Section 202 and the sponsoring agency, St. Bernards Village.
Work began on Benedictine Manor about four years ago, but planning for the facility goes back much farther than that, with the St. Bernards Healthcare Governing Board looking to establish housing options for senior residents. The first such project was the construction of St. Bernards Village, a retirement community nestled in the heart of Jonesboro that offers three types of living options – condominium-style cottage homes, independent living apartments and assisted living apartments.
Construction began on Benedictine Manor last year, with Nabholz Construction serving as general contractor. Stuck Associates served as architects. Betty Shaw served as project consultant. And Simmons First Bank served as the local representative of the Federal Home Loan Bank, Dallas office.
Benedictine Manor is just one of the components of St. Bernards Senior Services Division. Others are St. Bernards Village, St. Bernards Senior Health Clinic, St. Bernards Senior Life Centers, St. Bernards DayPlace, St. Bernards Memory Center, Geriatric Services at St. Bernards Behavioral Health Unit, St. Bernards Home Healthcare, St. Bernards Hospice (a service which includes both in-home hospice care and hospice care at the new Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House at St. Bernards), Meals Express, 55PLUS, Total Life Healthcare, Lifeline and the Center on Aging-Northeast.
Brian Rega serves as director of St. Bernards Village and Benedictine Manor.
Persons interested in additional information may contact the site manager at 336-4300