Name: In the midst of COVID pandemic, 48 seniors at The Gardens are told to move out
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In the midst of COVID pandemic, 48 seniors at The Gardens are told to move out

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You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Sharon Huggins has some hard decisions to make, and not much time.The 74-year-old resident at The Gardens Retirement Community in the Hilldale neighborhood found out on Nov. 6 that she and the other 47 residents there have to vacate the premises by Dec. 29. She’s scrambling to find a new living situation she can afford, which fits her medical needs.“I’m having trouble with the shortness of the notice,” said Huggins, who had a lung transplant five years ago and endures a variety of health problems. “It’s in the winter. It’s over the holidays. And most importantly it’s during a COVID pandemic, and we’re all here because of some level of vulnerability.”The evictions come after Independent Living Inc., the owner of the prominent but aging 10-story tower overlooking the Hilldale shopping district, failed to pay off debt after a series of ill-fated decisions in recent years. Now a prospective owner wants the building cleared out for extensive renovations before completing the purchase, according to Sue Berg, Independent Living marketing and fund development director.Huggins is in a tough spot, but some of her neighbors are worse off, she said. Some have cognitive challenges and medical issues that are even more pressing than hers. And like her, some have no family and friends to help navigate their transition to a new facility in the midst of a pandemic.The Gardens is only one of several senior living facilities that have been affected by the demise of Independent Living, a senior housing and services nonprofit in Madison since 1973. But it’s the only one where residents have been uprooted.[]OverextendedIn 2018 Independent Living opened Tennyson Senior Living on Madison’s northeast side, funded by a loan acquired by leveraging The Gardens. Tennyson is now in receivership, as is Olympic Village in Sun Prairie, another Independent Living facility.Independent Living also recently operated McKee Park Apartments, a senior community in Fitchburg supported by Housing and Urban Development. McKee Park is now operated by Marquardt Management Services, a faith-based, multifaceted senior services not-for-profit organization with a presence in 32 Wisconsin counties. Marquardt also took over Meals on Wheels and home care programs formerly operated by Independent Living.Overextended, The Gardens failed to meet its financial commitments, according to Berg, who also works for Marquardt.“There were some big decisions made a few years ago and they turned out not to work,” she said.[]Independent Living has owned The Gardens since 2000, when it purchased the building from Attic Angel, a not-for-profit group that provides senior housing and services. Attic Angel is helping The Gardens residents relocate.Mary Ann Drescher, Attic Angel president and CEO, said six residents so far have found new living arrangements. The pandemic is complicating the process.&nbsp;"Everybody has their own policies as far as allowing movers and family in to help people, or whether people have to quarantine after they're in," she said. "It's trying to find out all that information so residents can make the best informed decisions in this tough circumstance."According to Carla Andres, an attorney with Godfrey &amp; Kahn, ILI Senior Housing-Segoe Road Inc. owns the The Gardens building, which is not in receivership. Andres represents ILI-Segoe, a separate legal entity that has a written agreement with the prospective buyer. The buyer's identity has not been made public.&nbsp;She said ILI-Segoe was the group that sent the notice to residents telling them that they had to move out.Overdue for an overhaulThe building, which was renovated after Independent Living purchased it, is overdue for another overhaul, Berg said, which has a bearing on its competitiveness in the senior living marketplace. But few foresaw the terms of the sale requiring an evacuation. Berg said the move is within the terms of the lease residents agreed to, which require 30 days notice. They got about 45 days.“This is a scenario where there are no winners, unless you want to think of the building as a winner,” she said. “Finally there’s going to be some significant investment in updating this building. It’s a great location. It’s a neat building.”Its location is also uniquely suited for senior living, she said.[]“When I talk to residents a big draw for people is the location,” she said. “It’s close to health care. It’s close to retail. It’s close to banking. It’s close to the park. There’s so many advantages.”Huggins said in addition to all that, she’ll miss the people.“This has been a wonderful setting for me,” she said. “It is not a high-end facility. It’s a good mid-range facility, a good basic facility. Our needs are met, good staff, a well-balanced residents group, and people get along.”After issuing the letter informing them they have to leave, each resident was assigned a social worker from Attic Angel.Independent livingHuggins, because of her desire to find a facility suited to her needs, decided to search for herself, but she'll ask for help if she needs it. She’s worried that she won’t find another facility that will give her the level of independence she’s used to.“As long as I can safely manage an independent apartment, that’s what I want to hold onto for as long as I can, because it means I have more independence,” she said.So far, she’s had little luck.“One agency that I talked to felt like maybe my situation was a little too complex for them to take me on,” she said.Another had a three-year wait list.“My goal would be to get an extension to a more reasonable amount of time,” she said. “Obviously, if we’re all in a facility like this I’m not going to be able to move with the speed that I could before I developed these health issues. It’s just a reality.”Berg hopes that publicizing the plight of the residents will prompt other senior living communities with openings to contact Attic Angel.“Once in a while there are one or two small gems where for some reason all seniors happen to live in that apartment building,” she said. “They happen to have an opening, and we might not be able to find out until they read that there are some seniors who suddenly need to look for a new place to live.”Become a Cap Times member today and enjoy great benefits.Questions?{{title}}{{summary}}You don't have any notifications.Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.Topics

You are the owner of this article.You have permission to edit this article.Sharon Huggins has some hard decisions to make, and not much time.The 74-year-old resident at The Gardens Retirement Community in the Hilldale neighborhood found out on Nov. 6 that she and the other 47 residents there have to vacate the premises by Dec. 29. She’s scrambling to find a new living situation she can afford, which fits her medical needs.“I’m having trouble with the shortness of the notice,” said Huggins, who had a lung transplant five years ago and endures a variety of health problems. “It’s in the...

In the midst of COVID pandemic, 48 seniors at The Gardens are told to move out

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