Photo of St. Therese Apartments in Everett by ROBERT UMENHOFER
Some PACE Centers in Massachusetts have special partnerships with housing entities, local housing authority- and privately owned properties that contain a variety of unit-styles, including rooms in congregate homes with shared amenities (such a kitchens, living rooms, and bathrooms).
Considerations for Combining PACE with Housing, a 2022 report developed by MassPACE, LeadingAge MA, the EOEA, and MassHealth, discusses the potential for meaningful partnerships and unit-set-aside agreements. Note: their report does not include information about Assisted Living units and their possible connections with PACE programs. The main intended audience for this report is housing authority administrative personnel. You can always forward it to your local housing authority.
If you are working with a client and/or their family members who is already a PACE enrollee or could be PACE-eligible and benefit from independent housing options, the best starting point is contacting the PACE program affiliated with housing, but staff involved with tenant selection at housing authorities should also be able to provide details on how they maintain a PACE waiting list. Housing authorities and management companies are still the gatekeepers and in charge of tenant screening and selection, but learning how to place a client on a waiting list for specific PACE-set-aside units will increase options for PACE enrollees.
The following is a selection of the properties and their partner PACE Centers listed in that report (2022):
- Sunset Towers in Leominster, connected to Summit ElderCare
- Colony Retirement Homes in Worcester in partnership with Summit ElderCare
- Harborlight House in Beverly in partnership with Element Care PACE
- Hillside Residence in West Springfield, which is fully integrated with Mercy LIFE PACE on the same campus
- The newly built Therese development in Everett has a strong partnership with the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, which provides on-site healthcare to residents. They have set-aside units for people enrolled in Neighborhood PACE
- Congregate: Ludlow Housing Authority with set-asides for people enrolled in Summit ElderCare PACE
- 2Life Communities’ J. J. Carroll House in Brighton is another new building with units for those enrolled in Element Care PACE
