Church group sees to housing for seniors
Marion foundation aiming for affordability at Moundview Manor
By Dave Gosch
Gazette staff writer
The Gazette, Apr. 10, 1999
The weather was raw and gloomy, but it didn’t dampen Ann Scott’s spirit as the ground was broken for Moundview Manor on Friday after noon.
“Just this community support makes me feel more than good,” said Scott, president of the Marion Churches Senior Living Community Foundation board.
Around 90 people attended the groundbreaking for the 40-unit housing development. It will be built on the east side of Highway 13, about one-half mile north of Highway 151 on the east edge of Marion.
Moundview Manor was conceived after the Marion Churches Senior Living Community Foundation conducted a survey in 1994 that showed 75 percent of the elderly in the area could not afford more than $400 to $500 a month for housing.
The survey also found that people older than 65 account for one of the fastest growing populations in Marion, which is expected to increase by 1,000 in the next 15 years.
The church foundation and MidAmerica Housing Partnership (MAHP) received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to apply toward the development.
Each apartment at Moundview Manor will have a living room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Both single and double occupancy will be accommodated.
The church foundation also is developing a community-based service program to help the independence of prospective residents.
Following the groundbreaking, the group went across the highway for a reception at Prairie Hill Pavilion.
MAHP spokeswoman Tracey Johnson said prospective residents must be 62 or older and cannot exceed $16,600 in annual income. Two people in one apartment could not exceed $18,950 in annual income.
Construction on the development is scheduled to begin this month and is to be completed sometime this fall, according to Johnson.
Anyone interested in being put op the waiting list for Moundview Manor can call MAHP at (319) 365-3501.