Baltimore housing nonprofit CHAI, which references the Jewish word for “life” and stands for Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc., is much like any housing organization in the sense that it has ambitious plans to improve life for its residents but depends on funding to carry them out.

So, when HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program expanded its financing options for senior housing in 2019, CHAI’s goal to do a comprehensive renovation of its Weinberg House senior living facility in Pikesville suddenly became more realistic.
Now, the Weinberg House renovations are nearly complete after a project that cost about $14 million. In addition to HUD funding, the project was made possible by state and county funding.

“This is kind of a once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the property,” said Catherine Stokes, vice president of housing planning and development. “This is the first property that we have that has this additional subsidy from HUD called the preservation rent increase.”

Many of the older properties that CHAI has in its portfolio were developed through HUD’s funding program for low-income housing for the elderly, but this is the first one that is structured so that the rent for the property can support debt.

“That makes it really difficult to redevelop,” Stokes said. “So this program both allows the rent to be restructured so it can support debt, and then also with this additional preservation rent increase, really contemplates the fact that a significant redevelopment is required, and really looks at the capital needs of the building.”

The results made possible by this program are transformational. The Weinberg House will feature newly-renovated interiors with new fixtures and finishes, new bathrooms and kitchens, new flooring, new cabinets and appliances, upgraded heating and air conditioning, upgraded common areas and elevators and more energy efficient systems throughout.

Lisa Budlow, CHAI’s chief executive officer, said that the new Weinberg House will be a great asset to not just those who live there, but to the community in Pikesville, as well.

“This building is not going to be an older, falling apart building. This is going to be a newer, modernized, real community amenity. So that’s really important too,” Budlow said.

This type of renovation requires builders to go in and out of every unit, which is complicated by the fact that the units are, of course, home to residents who have lived in the Weinberg House since before the renovation project began. Residents were moved to another, empty unit for 60 days at a time while the construction was going on, with nobody displaced outside of the building at any point during the process, Stokes said.

“We work with a relocation consultant, [and] this is what they do. They really work closely with each individual resident throughout the process to understand their specific needs, whether their mobility or anything else. They have a whole laundry list of questions that they ask to understand doctor’s appointments or things like that that the person needs,” Stokes said.

The project was completed in vertical tiers, so residents of each floor were moved at a certain time and then returned to their unit when the project was completed and moved to the next floor.

The project will be completed at the end of the month, with renovation of the common areas the only notable aspect yet to be completed.

Budlow said that the CHAI team has already heard from residents of another CHAI building which underwent similar renovations, noting the overwhelming sentiment was excitement for the new space.

“We heard from residents how happy they were when they were moving back, and that they were redecorating in their apartment. They felt like it was a refreshed space. So we heard a lot of positivity,” she said.

Stokes said that this project is as exciting for the team at CHAI as it is for those who live in the Weinberg House.

“You’re not going to get another chance [for a project like this] for 15 or 20 more years,” she said, referencing the financing environment that made this all possible. “This is definitely the big moment.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com