Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation Joins Related Affordable to Revitalize Two Senior Apartment Communities in West Palm Beach, Florida
The nonprofit is providing impactful resident services to senior residents while each property undergoes a comprehensive renovation to modernize units, improve energy efficiency, and much more
West Palm Beach, Fla. (September 13, 2021) – Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation (Rainbow), a national nonprofit organization which provides service-enriched programs for residents of rental housing communities throughout the country, has been selected as the primary services provider for St. Andrews Residences and St. James Residences, two senior housing communities located in West Palm Beach. Related Affordable, one of the largest developers, financiers, and preservationists of affordable and workforce housing in the United States, expanded its partnership with Rainbow to implement programming focused on nutrition, financial awareness, and fitness, as well as computer training and other educational services.
“With the pandemic compromising seniors on multiple levels, we are focusing on preventing social isolation, and encouraging an active and healthy lifestyle from the comfort of their home,” said Flynann Janisse, Executive Director of Rainbow. “Our onsite Resident Services Coordinators are working in collaboration with local and regional partners to improve access to resources which will promote health and wellness along with computer training as a key program to help residents stay connected to family and friends.”
Rainbow’s Web-Based Resident Applied Programming (WRAP) is easily accessible on a computer or mobile phone while Rainbow’s mobile phone app provides a monthly calendar of online class schedules and workshops. Residents may also join live book-reading sessions and exercise sessions designed for seniors which are available on the Rainbow Senior Circle Facebook group.
To encourage social engagement, seniors can also attend in-person workshops hosted by a resident services coordinator. The coordinator takes every precaution to keep seniors safe during the pandemic through socially-distanced programming, mask-wearing, temperature checks, visitor logs, and cleaning office equipment between each use.
“Affordable housing has laid the foundation of Related’s real estate work for nearly 50 years, and we are proud to continue our legacy of preserving at-risk affordable housing in the flourishing community of West Palm where we have worked in nearly every aspect of development for over two decades,” said Dave Pearson, Senior Vice-President, Related Affordable. “We believe everyone, regardless of income level, deserves to have a place to call home and look forward to ensuring that seniors in West Palm have an upgraded and highly amenitized affordable place to live for decades to come.”
In addition to executing quality resident services, Related Affordable is renovating each property to replace aging systems, modernize units, improve energy efficiency, and update amenities to ensure resident safety. Built in 1970, St. Andrews Residences has 177 one-bedroom units in a 15-story building on a 0.985-acre site. St. James Residences is a 148-unit property built in 1981 and was recently lightly renovated to include two new A/C roof units and window caulking. The renovation and improvements for both properties will cost $19.5 million.
“The renovations are only one step to refreshing St. Andrews Residences and St. James Residences. Our supportive services allow for residents to thrive in a community-driven environment while allowing them to connect to easily accessible resources,” said Ms. Janisse.
Today, Rainbow supports 155 rental-housing communities and 22,551 units across the United States. The nonprofit organization is the only third-party service provider in the United States to be a Certified Organization for Resident Engagement & Services (CORES) because it provides quality resident services. The certification is one of the requirements for property owners to qualify for Fannie Mae Healthy Housing Rewards – Enhanced Resident Services financing incentives.
To learn more about Rainbow, please visit https://old.rainbowhousing.org.
About Rainbow Housing Assistance Corporation
Rainbow (rainbowhousing.org) is a nonprofit organization, which provides service-enriched housing programs for residents of rental housing communities throughout the country. With award-winning services available throughout the United States, Rainbow seeks to create and preserve quality, affordable housing for families and individuals of diverse ethnic, social, and economic backgrounds.
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