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U.S. Congressman Yakym Visits Hellenic Senior Living of Mishawaka

Posted on by Andrew Kaffes

MISHAWAKA, INDIANA— U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) visited AHEPA Senior Living’s Hellenic Senior Living of Mishawka, a 136-unit affordable assisted living lifestyle community, on June 2, 2023.

“We were excited to welcome Congressman Yakym to Hellenic Senior Living of Mishawaka,” AHEPA Senior Living (ASL) President and CEO Steve Beck said. “We applaud his commitment to Indiana’s older adults, and his interest in learning about our mission to provide seniors with safe and dignified affordable housing and the quality aging services they need to thrive. We thank him for choosing to visit our community and for spending time with our residents, board members, and our team.”

In a Facebook post, Congressman Yakym wrote, “Hellenic Senior Living of Mishawaka does great work to serve our senior Hoosiers and ensure they can enjoy an independent lifestyle. Thanks to the residents for welcoming me and sharing your wisdom with me today!”

Hellenic Senior Living of Mishawaka is located at 1540 Logan Street. It is owned and managed by AHEPA Senior Living.

Hellenic Senior Living offers low-income seniors, 62 and older, access to affordable and safe residential apartment-home living with the availability of personal assistance, medication administration, and a variety of support services, such as meals, housekeeping, laundry, socialization, and transportation. Residences are one‐bedroom or studio apartments, which include a handicap-adaptable full bathroom, individually controlled heating and cooling, an emergency call system, and a kitchenette.

In addition to HSL of Mishawaka, ASL manages three other affordable assisted living lifestyle communities under the Hellenic Senior Living brand in Indianapolis, New Albany, and Elkhart.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors, we have been delighted and honored to welcome many public officials to our communities,” ASL Chairman Ike Gulas said. “We are most pleased to welcome Congressman Yakym, with whom we just met in Washington in May. His visit marks the ongoing affirmation of the appreciation of public officials for the bold vision of our company’s mission-driven founders, and their commitment to give back to the community, by providing quality affordable housing for older adults.”

In addition to Congressman Yakym, ASL has welcomed several U.S. government officials to its communities. U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) visited AHEPA 232 Apartments in Indianapolis, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) visited AHEPA 78 VI in Merrillville, Ind., U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge accompanied by U.S. Reps. Al Green (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) toured AHEPA 29 Apartments campus of Houston; U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) also visited AHEPA 232 in Indianapolis, and the late U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) visited Hellenic Senior Living of Elkhart.

About ASL

Serving more than 5,000 older adults across the United States, AHEPA Senior Living (ASL) is a mission-driven, nationwide provider of affordable independent and assisted senior living communities. Since 1980, it has developed and managed more than 90 affordable independent senior living communities in 21 states administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program.

Through its subsidiaries, ASL owns and manages four affordable assisted living communities with 532 units in Indiana.

The mission of ASL is to provide older adults with safe, healthy, and enriching affordable residential communities and quality services that allow them to thrive and enjoy peace of mind.

ASL is based in Fishers, Ind.

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AHEPA Senior Living Personifies Hellenic Ideals

Posted on by Andrew Kaffes

At AHEPA Senior Living, we strive to be pillars of our communities, inspired by the ethos of our Greek American founders of civic responsibility, humanitarianism, and philanthropy. Led by the desire to leave our communities better than we found them, we hope our team of professionals embodies these Hellenic ideals and that these ideals carry over to residents. This personification of ideals is what we saw this holiday season at several of our communities.

 

A Community Inspired to Give Back

In Daytona Beach, Florida, at our AHEPA 410 Senior Apartments community, residents recently asked the management team about donating toys to children through a Toys for Tots drive hosted by the Daytona Beach Fire Department. While the request seemed normal to Julie Carpenter, the AHEPA 410 Senior Apartments property manager, the participation caught her a bit by surprise.

“We collected 64 new unwrapped toys that we dropped off to the Daytona Beach Fire Department,” said Carpenter. “Many of our residents were eager to participate. For them, the thought of putting smiles on children’s faces was very gratifying. Several took pictures of the gifts under the tree to share with their loved ones.”

We also saw a similar toy drive carried out by residents at Penelope 54 Senior Apartments in Houston for a collection organized by the Houston Police Department.

However, the exciting part of the story is how these holiday toy drives that link generations seem to reflect a growing trend in the United States–a rise in multigenerational housing. These households cite several benefits of living together, including strengthened relationships among family members, more accessible family care, improved finances, and positive impacts on personal mental health. Perhaps the alignment of the “holiday spirit” or simply the desire to care for others ties these two concepts together.

 

The Steady Rise of Multigenerational Households

The COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis are recent contributing factors for the rise in children in high poverty or rural areas living with their grandparents. A June 2022 report issued by a congressional committee responsible for appropriating funding for affordable elderly housing cited these factors. However, according to research from the Pew Research Center, there has been a steady rise in multigenerational housing since the 1970s, with a rate of 18% in 2021. All told, 23% of grandparents support grandchildren, according to a stat provided by the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Aging, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), at a December 2022 hearing.

While there are currently no AHEPA Senior Living facilities that provide multigenerational housing, the trend is gaining attention. It has the interest of the Senate Committee on Aging. In 2019, the then-heads of the committee, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA), proposed a bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act to allow further funding to multigenerational families. Today, we are starting to see Congress appropriate funding to expand the supply of affordable intergenerational units—$25 million in the latest funding bill.

Regardless of whether we can be involved directly, our ethos aligns with those ideals being lived by intergenerational housing. At the core, we want to ensure that seniors and our communities are served and thriving. So, we want to thank again the residents in Daytona Beach and Houston who took it upon themselves to help make the holidays brighter for the underserved children in their communities.

U.S. Senator Braun Visits Indianapolis Community

Posted on by Andrew Kaffes

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.—U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) visited AHEPA 232 Phases I and II Senior Apartments of Indianapolis, Ind., November 9, 2022.

“We are thrilled to welcome Senator Braun to our affordable senior living community in Indianapolis,” AHEPA Senior Living (ASL) President and CEO Steve Beck said. “We applaud his commitment to Indiana’s older adults, and his interest to learn about our mission to provide seniors with the safe and dignified affordable housing and quality supportive services they need to thrive. We thank Senator Braun for choosing to visit our community and for spending time with our residents, board members, and personnel.”

“What a pleasure it was to get a behind the scenes look at the operations of the AHEPA Senior Apartments in Indianapolis,” Senator Braun said, following the visit. “It was really heartwarming to see such a special group of people operate a fantastic community for Hoosier seniors. Taking care of our elders is an essential piece to ensuring a prosperous society. Thanks for the tour!”

AHEPA 232 Phases I and II are a 122-unit community located at 7355 Shadeland Station Way. It is owned by AHEPA 232, Inc., and managed by ASL, both nonprofits. Angelo Kostarides is the AHEPA 232, Inc., board president.

ASL manages four affordable independent senior living communities in Indianapolis, totaling 272 units, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program.

“On behalf of our Board of Directors and local housing boards, we have been delighted to welcome many public officials to our communities, and we are most pleased to welcome Senator Braun,” AHEPA Senior Living Chairman Ike Gulas said. “Celebrating its centennial anniversary, AHEPA is at its heart a service organization comprised of volunteer Greek Americans and Philhellenes who aspire to give back to their communities. Their visits mark a special moment for our mission-driven company, and it contributes to the bold vision of our founders who chose to give back by sponsoring quality affordable housing for seniors.”

In addition to U.S. Senator Braun, ASL has welcomed several U.S. government officials to its communities recently. In May 2022, U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan (D-IN) visited AHEPA 78 VI in Merrillville, Ind. In March 2022, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, U.S. Reps. Al Green (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) toured AHEPA 29 Senior Apartments campus of Houston. Last year, U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) also visited AHEPA 232 Phases I and II in Indianapolis, and the late U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) visited Hellenic Senior Living of Elkhart, an affordable assisted living community.

AHEPA Senior Apartments communities offer very low-income older adults over the age of 62 residential apartment-home living with voluntary supportive services they may need to continue to live independently as they age. Through service coordination, the services may include meal services, case management, transportation assistance, public benefits programs enrollment assistance, fitness and wellness programs, housekeeping assistance, and health services.

About ASL

Serving more than 5,000 older adults across the United States, AHEPA Senior Living (ASL) is a mission-driven, nationwide provider of affordable independent and assisted senior living communities. Since 1980, it has developed and manages 87 affordable independent senior living communities in 19 states administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program.

Through its subsidiaries, ASL owns and manages four affordable assisted living communities with 532 units in Indiana.

ASL is based in Fishers, Ind.

PHOTO CREDIT: John Kofodimos