NEWTON, MA–2Life Communities in Newton, MA held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday to celebrate the expansionof 2Life Communities’ Golda Meir House in Auburndale, MA.
The $43 million project is adding 68 new apartments at Golda with nine of the apartments designated for chronically homeless individuals and 50 apartments available for those making up to 60% of the area median income.
The Golda Meir House Expansion builds on the success of 2Life’s existing Golda Meir House in supporting connection, purpose, health, and wellbeing by creating 68 more households with the opportunity to age in community.
The Expansion consists of two new additions that connect to the existing Golda building on every floor. In addition to the existing vibrant Village Center with a card room, library, fitness center, and computer center that was renovated in 2018, all Golda residents will be able to enjoy beautiful new community spaces including a movie room, dance studio, and art room in the new additions.
The Expansion consists of 57 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom new apartments, for a total of 267 apartments on the consolidated Golda Meir House campus. Nine of the new 68 apartments are designated for chronically homeless individuals, with supportive services provided by Hearth, Inc. in collaboration with 2Life staff.
“I am committed to opening Newton’s doors to people and families of all ages, all incomes and from all backgrounds with affordable, diverse types of housing, and Golda Meir House so beautifully meets those goals,” said Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller. “I am proud that the City of Newton was able to provide $4.7 million in funding to support 2Life Communities and 68 additional, adaptive, affordable homes.”
“The housing shortage is the Bay State’s biggest problem,” said U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss. “The expansion of the Golda Meir House is important progress. I’ll continue to support efforts to provide affordable housing and supporting services for Massachusetts seniors.”“The Golda Meir House Expansion project embodies the kind of housing everyone in Newton and Massachusetts deserves  – affordable, accessible, safe, and welcoming,” said U.S. Senator Ed Markey. “I applaud the staff, administrators, and supporters who turned this vision into a ribbon cutting for the seniors who will treasure their homes.”“Congratulations to 2Life Communities for their Golda Meir Expansion in Newton, Massachusetts,” said U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren. “2Life Communities does powerfully important work to help our seniors obtain affordable housing. I’m going to keep fighting at the federal level and work with our community leaders to expand our housing supply and make it more affordable.”“The expansion of Golda Meir House represents what is possible with strong partnerships and collaboration among federal, state, and local organizations,” said Juana Matias, Regional Administrator, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We congratulate 2Life Communities and partners and are proud to continue working together toward our shared goals of providing affordable housing and supportive services as well as preventing homelessness among our aging population.”“Older adults are the fastest growing and most economically insecure population in the state,” said Lizbeth Heyer, Vice President and Acting CEO. “Partnerships such as those driving the Golda expansion are essential: to make the land available, provide funding, design and construct the building, power through all the complications of adding new housing to an already complicated physical, legal, and financial structure, and much more. We are so grateful for the contributions of all who brought this exciting project to conclusion.”
Project Funders: Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
City of Newton, HUD Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program
MassHousing, Wells Fargo Bank, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Charles H. Farnsworth Trust, and Mass Save.
Project Team: Contractor: Colantonio Inc., Architect: PCA/ Prellwitz Chilinski Associates Inc., Landscape Architect/Civil Engineer: Stantec, Legal: Klein Hornig LLP, Owner’s Representative: WaypointKLA, and Supportive Service Partner: Hearth Inc.
Golda Expansion Capital Campaign Major Donors:
- Charles H. Farnsworth Trust
- Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation
- Claire Sokoloff and Rob Gifford
- Jacquelyn and Howard Furman
- Northland Investment Corporation
- Cheryl and Jeffrey Sacks
- Mark Development, LLC
- Millie and Harold Tubman
- Merle and James Grandberg
- Marcy D’Agostine and Kenneth Grandberg
- Candace and Lee Steingisser
- Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.
