Evolving to meet a pressing need | The history of 2Life

60 years of service

2Life has been at the heart of positive change in the affordable senior housing ecosystem since 1965. Norman Leventhal, Benjamin Ulin, and other Jewish community leaders founded what was originally named Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE) to address the housing dislocation and chronic loneliness threatening to devastate the final chapter in the lives of Boston’s low-income Jews.

Today, 2Life Communities proudly meets the needs of a diverse population of over 1,800 seniors. Our residents represent 42 countries of origin and speak 22 languages. We have more than 1,600 apartments under management at 11 properties across seven campuses. The median household income of residents who live in income-restricted apartments — which represent 94% of 2Life’s apartments — is approximately $13,000.

On the occasion of our 60th anniversary, we have assembled this timeline of major milestones for the organization. Here’s to many more ahead!

Entrance of Ulin House, a senior living community, featuring a modern glass doorway with a white overhang and signage. The brick building is surrounded by lush greenery and flowering trees. A wooden bench sits near the entrance, and a sign directs visitors to the entryway. The area is well-maintained with accessible pathways.

The 1970s and 1980s

Ulin House (1971), Leventhal House (1973), and Kurlat House (originally Genesis House; 1978) all open in the Boston neighborhood of Brighton, creating nearly 700 apartments for older adults. Golda Meir House, which opens in 1978, becomes the first community in Newton, Massachusetts, joined by Coleman House in 1983. The organization now has over 1,000 apartment homes under management.

Small computer lab with a row of desktop computers on a blue desk, ergonomic office chairs, and task lamps. A cork bulletin board with posted notices is on the wall, along with framed artwork. A bookshelf with books and a cushioned chair are in the foreground, giving the space a library-like feel.

The 1990s and 2000s

JCHE continues developing its aging-in-community model. The first computer center is built in 1995, launching the now-famous technology program. The first resident services coordinator is hired, a role designed to provide residents and their families with support to access social services and remove barriers to well-being. (Twenty years later, Massachusetts incorporates the RSC role into all funding for senior housing.) The first fitness and wellness program begins in 2001.

Multi-story building under construction with exposed wooden framing and insulation panels. Construction workers use aerial lifts and heavy machinery to work on the exterior. The site is active with equipment, vehicles, and workers on a dirt road, with a residential neighborhood and rolling hills in the background

The 2010s

Amy Schectman becomes chief executive officer in 2010, and Lizbeth Heyer joins the organization in 2014 as Chief of Real Estate and Innovation to launch a formal development function. Shillman House opens in Framingham in 2011 (150 apartments), and Weinberg House (61 apartments) is added to the growing Brighton Campus in 2019. Golda Meir House is expanded (2018), while comprehensive renovations are completed at Ulin House (2015), and Kurlat House (2018).

On the advocacy front, 2Life and others successfully influence formation of the Governor’s Council to Address Aging in Massachusetts in 2017, with the goal of promoting healthy aging and making the state the most age-friendly in the country. In 2018, JCHE becomes 2Life Communities and publishes its “Design Guidelines for Aging in Community,” influencing the Commonwealth’s standards.

Exterior photo of Leland House in Waltham, MA

2020 to date

In 2024, 2Life begins to operate under the co-leadership model of Amy Schectman as Saul and Gitta Kurlat Chief Executive Officer and Lizbeth Heyer as President. Brookline’s Brown Family House (62 apartments) opens in 2020, and then both J.J. Carroll House (142 apartments) in Brighton, and Leland House (68 apartments) in Waltham open in 2024. In addition, Shirley Meadows (58 apartments) in Devens become 2Life’s first acquisition in 2021, Coleman House is modernized in 2023, and Golda Meir House receives its second addition the same year.

2Life continues to innovate, breaking ground on its first community for middle-income seniors, Opus Newton, in 2023. The new J.J. Carroll House includes a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) center, operated by Element Care. And the landmark $5.15 billion Affordable Home Act is signed at Gold Meir House in 2024.