New affordable and accessible apartment projects help seniors on fixed incomes
The Imperial Lofts apartment complex in Huntington is shown on March 12, 2024.
HUNTINGTON — High housing costs faced by many West Virginia seniors living on fixed incomes makes the need for affordable, accessible housing for seniors grow each year.
Several new and ongoing senior housing projects in Huntington and ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä are increasing the number of available units in the region.
Many senior citizens in West Virginia live on fixed incomes because they earned far below the national average during their working years, said Whitney Humphrey, communications administrator at West Virginia Housing Development Fund (WVHDF). As the cost of necessities like groceries and medicine increases, seniors have less money available for housing, she said.
The WVHDF works to increase the supply of residential housing for low- and moderate-income residents, and to provide construction and permanent mortgage financing to public and private sponsors of such housing. The fund’s 2017 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment indicated that older West Virginians needed affordable housing the most. The assessment showed Huntington and the surrounding area have low-quality housing, said Humphrey.
The assessment showed that the population over the age of 65 in Cabell County grew by 9% between 2010 and 2017. More than 26% of renters in Cabell County are 62 or older, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The assessment found that Cabell County needs about 5,500 additional units to meet the needs of seniors earning 60% or less of the area’s median income. Huntington’s median income is $39,066 in 2022 dollars, according to the U.S. Census.
The Imperial Lofts apartment complex in Huntington is shown on March 12.
Imperial Lofts
After the 2017 assessment, the WVHDF invested in a project in Cabell County that will help seniors have affordable housing.
The Imperial Lofts development is located in the Fairfield East neighborhood of Huntington. The apartment complex, on 1.1 acres at 2133 8th Ave., will feature two apartment buildings with a total of 36 units. Imperial Lofts, expected to be completed by December, will lease to low-income seniors and have 23 one-bedroom, six two-bedroom and seven three-bedroom apartments.
The WVHDF is supporting the $9 million project with $7.2 million in state funding.
“Bringing more affordable housing developments to the market ... [guarantees seniors] that they will never pay more in rent than what they can reasonably afford,†Humphrey said in an email, adding that the Imperial Loft apartments will also give seniors have a sense of independence and safety by offering elevators, widened doorways, no-slip floors, zero-entry showers, and other modifications.
The former Prichard Hotel in Huntington is shown on Feb. 5, 2024.
Prichard Hotel
Another affordable senior apartment building will come to Huntington’s downtown in the historic former Prichard Hotel. Built by Frederick C. Prichard in 1926, it was one of Huntington’s leading hotels until it closed in 1970, according to the local history app Clio.
Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, which now owns the building, wanted to preserve a piece of Huntington’s rich history while also meeting a need, said its president, Nikki Thomas.
“There was a need to restore the Prichard Hotel building that was severely dilapidated but was actually a national treasure of a building architecturally and in so many ways,†Thomas said.
The housing will be used for those 62 and older, earning up to 60% of the area’s median income, with all tenants benefiting from income-based rental assistance. The apartment building will have 108-units, income-based housing and health center for seniors.
Thomas said Cornerstone chose senior housing for the Prichard because seniors have a greater need for affordable housing than other generations right now.
Thomas said the building is currently under construction with all the windows taken out. Every inch of the building will be restored as close to the original as possible, Thomas said.
Thomas expects the Prichard restoration project to be completed by September 2025.
The Prichard restoration project will not only transform the former hotel into affordable apartments for seniors, but it will also help connect them to the community while giving them independence.
The Prichard’s downtown location is in proximity to resources and businesses in Huntington. In addition, Thomas said there has been talk about having matinee movies for the seniors at the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center on 4th Avenue.
In conjunction with the Prichard project, the City of Huntington is upgrading all the streetscapes around the building, Thomas said.
Cornerstone will also work with Huntington’s TTA to improve a bus stop at The Prichard by creating a designated pull in and bus shelter.
The Prichard will provide health care services and additional community resources on the first two floors with the rest of the building containing 108 residential living spaces.
Hospice of Huntington plans to occupy space on the first floor to facilitate a medical day center for aging adults in conjunction with a new facility the organization is currently developing, according to Cornerstone, and the West Virginia State University Metro Area Agency on Aging will house a resource and referral space in the building to create accessible resources for seniors and people with disabilities.
The former YWCA, at 1114 Quarrier St., ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, now houses the Liberty Village senior apartments.
Liberty Village
A newly renovated affordable and accessible senior housing apartment building has also made its way to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. The newly opened Liberty Village at 1114 Quarrier St. on ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s East End at the historic former YWCA building is comprised of 48 one- and two-bedroom units. Liberty Village is owned by Pison Management LLC.
Liberty Village’s location allows seniors to live within easy access to health care, shopping and local events. Seniors also have accessibility to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s bus service, the Kanawha Regional Transportation Authority.
Thomas said affordable and accessible senior housing is critical to healthy lifestyles for seniors.
“It helps them have a community and not be isolated,†Thomas said. “It offers services that they don’t have to travel to, and it brings a lot of accommodations to them ... so that they can thrive in their golden years.â€
