More housing for older adults is coming to Dunmore.
United Neighborhood Community Development Corporation has broken ground on Bucktown Center, a 40-unit senior housing community destined for East Drinker Street in the borough.
“Older adults are growing 20 times faster than any other population in Pennsylvania,” said state Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich. “Now’s the time to invest… to make sure that we have resources just like this for them to stay in their communities.”
Kavulich attended the groundbreaking on Friday afternoon, returning to his Lackawanna County roots to stand with Dunmore leaders and United Neighborhood Centers staff.
The $19 million Bucktown Center project will be four stories tall and about 46,000 square feet, according to UNC. The first floor will have commercial space, and the upper floors will have 40 apartment units for adults aged 62 and over.
Joy Hubshman, Director of Community Housing Development with United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, said Dunmore hasn’t had new housing for seniors in about 40 years.
“So we knew that there was a need and a desire,” Hubshman said.
Hubshman said construction should take 14 months. They hope to start leasing the building by next spring.
Kavulich said affordable housing projects are part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget requests for the state’s Department of Aging.
Funding for the project will come from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, Federal HOME funds, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Lackawanna County and PNC Bank.
The units themselves will be affordable for low-to-moderate income adults, Hubshman said.
“This is going to actually be renting out for about maybe $800 a month, but it’s an all-inclusive rent,” she said. “That’s going to include their utilities, so it’s really going to be a great opportunity. We’ve actually already started a waiting list.”
