MITHŪN

Overview

The goal was to provide an intergenerational community for those in need, extend a continuum of care for low income seniors, rebuild a church strapped for cash, and rejuvenate a neighborhood on the fringe of decline. The local parish sold its underutilized land and gained funding for a new church, parish hall and childcare building. The land surrounding the new church subsequently was used to create affordable independent, assisted living and Alzheimer’s housing for seniors financed with tax credits. The result is a village, one where residents of all ages, backgrounds and socioeconomic levels make their homes, gather in a common place and share a bond, be it faith, family or neighborhood. As in traditional villages, symbiotic relationships abound:

• The church is literally at the heart, providing both the spiritual and cultural center for the neighborhood.
• Parishioners are volunteers in the assisted living wing and food bank.
• Seniors living in the independent housing or assisted living are “grandparents” to the children in day care. They also participate in musical performances and classes held in the parish hall.
• The commercial kitchen in the assisted living building provides meals-on-wheels to seniors in the surrounding neighborhood to support a home health program.
• Neighbors attend community festivals or meditate in the rose garden, open to all.

Awards

• 2001 Oregon Governor’s Livability Award
• 2000 Publication, American Institute of Architects / AAHSA Design for Aging
• 2000 Order of Excellence Design Award in Assisted Living, Contemporary Long Term Care
• 1999 Silver Award, NAHB National Council on Seniors’ Housing