Hebrew SeniorLife Closes Financing for Affordable Brookline Senior Housing Expansion

BOSTON - Hebrew SeniorLife, New England’s largest nonprofit provider of senior health care and living communities, has secured financing to build 54 new units of affordable senior housing at its Center Communities of Brookline location.   

The new seven-story complex, located at 108 Centre Street, will provide independent living apartments for seniors age 62 and older and will complement Center Communities of Brookline’s existing housing sites, which include the Marilyn and André Danesh Family Residences, the Julian and Carol Feinberg Cohen Residences, and the Diane and Mark Goldman Family Residences.

The new housing includes several features that prioritize resident well-being and sustainability, including:

• Expanded indoor and outdoor community space to benefit residents of Center Communities of Brookline and other senior residents of the town.
• Construction that meets Passive House Standards, which will reduce energy consumption, ensure indoor air quality, enhance durability, and improve thermal comfort.   
• Access to the vast array of services at Center Communities of Brookline such as wellness programming, fitness, and dining.
• Enhancements to the overall campus, including landscaping, lighting, and green space.

“Hebrew SeniorLife is pleased to launch this development that we believe will help meet the urgent need for service-enriched senior housing in Brookline,” said Kim Brooks, Hebrew SeniorLife chief operating officer for senior living. “Our new Centre Street location will combine independent apartment living for seniors with onsite support services, all in keeping with Hebrew SeniorLife’s effort to redefine the aging experience.”

Construction of this new affordable senior community will take approximately 20 months with occupancy anticipated in early 2025. For more information and construction updates, visit Redeveloping Hebrew SeniorLife's Centre Street Campus in Brookline.

Hebrew SeniorLife appreciates the support it has received from various town of Brookline departments, including the Select Board, the Housing Advisory Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Brookline Historical Commission, and many other town boards, committees, and individuals. 

Financing for the project is supported by Eastern Bank, the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (as bond issuer), the Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund Board, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, the Town of Brookline, and Rogerson Communities, Inc., with an equity investment by RBC Community Investments, LLC.  Hebrew SeniorLife is also grateful for its partnerships with ICON Architecture, Affirmative Investments, Tierney Development Services, RLAW PC, NEI General Contracting, and Nixon Peabody LLP. 

Housing and Care Integration

Residents of the new building will benefit from the robust services offered at Center Communities of Brookline, including the Right Care, Right Place, Right Time Initiative (R3), an innovative program created by Hebrew SeniorLife to support residents in proactively managing their health by effectively linking housing and health care.

R3 seeks to help seniors stay independent and at home longer—improving lives and reducing costs.  The onsite resident-services team, including a wellness nurse and coordinator, focuses on preventative care, health education, and individualized support. LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston research found that seniors living in sites with R3 had lower hospitalization rates, days, payments, and readmissions than residents living in similar settings without the program.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, was founded in 1903 and today is a national leader dedicated to empowering seniors to live their best lives. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Hebrew SeniorLife also trains more than 1,000 future health care professionals each year, and conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a robust research portfolio whose NIH funding in 2021 places in the top 10% of NIH-funded institutions. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.