A group of Pennyrile Senior Apartment residents gathered recently at a picnic table beside their downtown residence to enjoy the cool breeze bouncing off the brick wall behind their neighbor, Hopkinsville Brewing Co.
Stanley Griffin, 65, rolled up with a Walmart goodie bag filled with treats.
“Y’all want some,” he asked, pulling out a 12-ounce bag of UTZ Party Mix and a zipper pouch.
“I’ll take one of those if you’ve got another,” said 60-year-old Van Baggett of the party mix.
“I’ll take the pouch,” said 79-year-old Texas native Minnie House.
Both Baggett and Griffin are wheelchair-bound veterans who moved to the apartment house on East Fourth Street after a stint at the Pennyroyal Regional Veterans Center in Hopkinsville.
House moved there after a stay at Christian County Manor, a skilled nursing facility behind the Western Kentucky State Fairgrounds.
“I fell and my daughter put me there,” House said, standing with her dog amongst the group. “I had a case manager, and he helped me get out of there.”
Baggett, Griffin and House represent a growing segment of Hopkinsville’s population — older residents who live in one of several apartment buildings constructed around Hopkinsville for seniors with limited income.
Community needs
Demand for moderately priced rentals for seniors was brought to the forefront at a July 25 public hearing about rezoning 21 acres on Old Clarksville Pike for another senior apartment building. Community and Development Services staff gave a favorable report on the request from landowner Randy Arnold. But Arnold withdrew his request after several CDS board members seemed to agree with residents of the adjacent neighborhood, Givens Addition, who said the project might cause drainage and flooding issues around their homes. They also had concerns about increased traffic.
Alexis Dunfee, vice president of Ohio-based Wallick Communities, the company that hoped to buy the land and construct a 70-unit apartment building on Old Clarksville Pike, said her company needs roughly 5 acres for the project and wants to break ground in 2024.
“There is a real need here,” Dunfee told the CDS board before Arnold withdrew his request.
Hoptown Chronicle reached out to Dunfee to ask if the company was looking at other sites in Hopkinsville, but she did not respond.
Living independently
Pennyrile Senior Apartments is one of several options seniors have to live independently in Hopkinsville if they don’t own a house or move in with relatives.
Pricing varies from income-based to buy-in investment models. Options range from five-story apartment buildings to garden homes.
Roughly 5,300 of the 30,683 people living in Hopkinsville — or 17.2% — are 65 years or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number grew by 2% since the 2010 Census. Additionally, 34% of those seniors live alone.
“I hadn’t seen this place before I moved in,” Griffin said, noting that the staff at the veterans center recommended it. “I knew it had a combination entry to get in and my front door led to a hallway; I’m thankful for those two things.”
Griffin lived in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, prior to coming to Hopkinsville to the veterans center.
The 50-bed facility works to get homeless veterans back on track, helping them find housing, employment and home health services if needed.
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimates that 20.1% of Hopkinsville residents ages 65 to 74 are military veterans. For those 75 and older, it is 21.2%. (The margin of error for the two estimates is plus or minus 4 points and 3.8 points, respectively.)
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Baggett shared a place in Clarksville with his brother before he died.
“My family is screaming for me to come back to Nashville, but I’m content here,” Baggett said of the apartment he has lived in for the past year and a half. “A lot of the places in Clarksville and Nashville, you’ve got to be 62.”
At Pennyrile Senior Apartments, the entry age is 55. Rent is income-restricted for a one- or two-bedroom unit, ranging between $530 and $630 per month. Future tenants can apply online via an application portal.
“We usually stay full,” said 59-year-old resident Linda Ridgway. “By the time one comes available, there’s someone moving in.”
The same was said for independent senior living at Christian Care Communities.
The 41-acre campus in the middle of Hopkinsville is home to senior apartment complexes Chapel House and Friendship House — as well as four garden home communities: The Village, Chambers Court I and II, and Cox Mill Court.
“I’ve got waiting lists for Chambers I and II and Cox Mill Court, so I’d definitely say there’s demand,” said Chris Dill, director of housing for Christian Care. “We’re just running out of room.”
Dill noted that the properties were built between the early 1980s and 2008.
“Cox Mill Court — we bought that property — they were built for townhomes, and we made them senior living,” Dill said.
To live in the condos, residents pay a buy-in fee, which ranges from $98,000 to $177,000, depending on the size of the unit. They also pay a monthly service fee to cover maintenance, grounds keeping, security, building insurance and utilities (water, gas and electric). Although the seniors are living on their own, those amenities and services like Meals on Wheels and social programs, make life easier as residents age.
Helping seniors
Jill Collins, local director of aging and independent living at the Pennyrile Area Development District, said her office provides a range of in-home and community-based services for residents across the region who are over 60 years old.
“We don’t have anything to do with the housing programs, but our services are mainly for individuals who are still in their homes,” she said. “We may send a home-delivered meal to someone in say Friendship House, but the whole goal of our homemaking, personal care, home-delivered services are to keep individuals in their homes for as long as possible.”
Collins said there is steady growth in the request for services for older adults.
She noted that the PADD office subcontracts with Pennyrile Allied Community Services to be the direct service provider of home-delivered and congregate meals, senior center services and senior transportation.
Depending on the service and how it’s funded, residents have to be 60 or older, and screening determines if they meet the income requirements, she noted.
“Our services are funded through federal and state, and sometimes the demand for services exceeds the funding,” Collins said.
“We’re in a situation right now where Kentucky is providing extra funds for our nutrition program, so that will help us get individuals off the waitlist for meals.”
Griffin said that’s one of the reasons he likes living in Hopkinsville.
“There’s good services here,” he said. “I get Meals on Wheels every weekday.”
Baggett said he has home health nurses who come help with simple tasks, but he wishes the community had an indoor pool.
“Baptist Health closed their pool, but I enjoyed being able to go there,” he said.
Loetta Brooks, 64, chimed in and said Means Avenue Baptist Church does great outreach at Pennyrile Senior Apartments.
“I don’t live here, but I spend a lot of time here taking care of my mother who’s 85,” Brooks said. “The church reaches out quite often. They’ll come and have Sunday evening service and feed them. They give birthday gifts and Christmas gifts.”
Christian Care Communities has an on-site chapel, planned outings with transportation and social programs.
There are 10 nonprofit Christian Care communities across the state in partnership with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Churches of Christ, according to its website.
Family decisions
Kirkman Terrace — the newest senior apartments built in the city — opened in 2021 at 21st and Croft streets. Privately owned by WODA Cooper Companies, the complex has 45 apartments for residents 55 and older.
The property boasts a community room, fitness center and grandchildren’s room, according to its website. Each one- and two-bedroom apartment includes energy-efficient electric appliances, disposals, washer/dryer hook-ups and central air conditioning.
Darrick Dillard, 31, chose Kirkman Terrace last year for his 62-year-old mother, Betty Dillard who is showing early signs of dementia.
“She can still bathe herself and cook for herself, but things like paying bills and stuff, she has to be prompted to do that,” he said.
For several years, Dillard said he has been juggling taking care of his mother while trying to build a life of his own.
Dillard graduated from Austin Peay State University, played football in Brazil, got his real estate license and now works at the Walmart Distribution Center. He also got married in 2019 and had twin daughters in 2020.
Dillard said he chose Kirkman Terrace because “it’s near a hospital and we have family and her old class members near her.”
However, Dillard said he is back on the hunt for other senior housing for his mother after a series of health concerns were brought to his attention by property management.
“The options here are cool, but I know I haven’t explored them all because my hands are full,” he said. “I just have to get out here and see what else is out there.”
New plans
Additionally, public housing is available for seniors through the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville.
Foster Senior Homes is a 32-unit, two-bedroom apartment complex for Hopkinsville residents who are age 55 and older.
Westwood Senior Homes is a 48-unit, one-bedroom apartment complex for seniors age 62 and older. Most recent renovations include new flooring, paint, windows, heat/ac, appliances, and security cameras, according to the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville website.
The Westwood and Foster buildings are next door to the Christian County Senior Center on West Seventh Street, giving them easy access to the center’s weekday lunches and activities.
Vickie Smiley, director of the Housing Authority, said she is applying for a tax credit to build 80 more senior apartments in town. They are slated to be built in fall 2023 and will be called Good Aker Village. The name is a nod to Housing Authority board member Tim Goodaker.
“We need more senior housing,” she said. “At Foster, we have 25 to 30 on the waiting list. At Westwood, it’s about 15.
“Rental properties are rare in Hopkinsville right now,” Smiley continued. “All of our Section 8 tenants cannot find units, that’s why we’re building one- and two-bedroom apartments. I want to help that population find adequate housing.”
(Hoptown Chronicle editor Jennifer P. Brown contributed reporting to this story.)
