2Life Communities and Element Care PACE Host Congressman Seth Moulton for Tour of PACE Center Ahead of Solimine House Construction
Lynn, Mass. – August 28, 2024 – 2Life Communities, a leading nonprofit owner, operator, and developer of senior affordable housing in the Greater Boston area, and Element Care PACE, a nonprofit healthcare organization helping older adults to live safely and comfortable in their homes, hosted Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) for a tour of the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Center in Lynn. The Element Care PACE Center provides comprehensive and personalized care to help seniors age in their communities, and services much of eastern Massachusetts, including the Lynn community and qualifying residents of the 2Life Communities Solimine House once completed.
Situated on the site of the former Union Hospital, Mary Jane and David J. Solimine Sr. House (Solimine House) will create 150 new service-enriched, affordable apartments for seniors in Lynn, with two apartments set aside for resident managers who provide off-hours support to residents. Offering campuses similar to Solimine House across the Greater Boston area, 2Life’s model addresses the two biggest threats to aging optimally: affordability and loneliness. Most seniors live on fixed incomes with declining assets, and face an increased risk of loneliness, which has been linked to numerous detrimental health outcomes. By providing deeply supportive, affordable housing and creating dynamic environments where seniors can thrive, 2Life offers seniors the opportunity to age in their communities.
Committed to turning the site into affordable senior housing, local developer and philanthropist David Solimine Jr. selected 2Life as a partner to help ensure that what replaced the former hospital site would make a real difference in Lynn, including the donation of the land to 2Life and Element Care. The Solimine House campus sits adjacent to the Element Care PACE Center, ensuring residents who enroll in the PACE program have immediate access to medical care, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral health and counseling, and other healthcare services critical to seniors’ wellbeing. The project, which has the support of housing and health equity advocates in Lynn, is a direct response to the needs of seniors in the Greater Lynn community.
“Solimine House addresses the economics of aging through a community-based model, integrating housing with healthcare through collaboration with PACE,” said Lizbeth Heyer, President of 2Life Communities. “This exciting project wouldn’t be possible without Congressman Moulton, and we are so grateful for his leadership and support.”
Congressman Moulton secured $1 million in FY24 federal funding for the project to help build its Village Center, which will feature fitness and wellness activities, arts and culture programs, lifelong learning, and community programming.
“Everyone deserves to be able to age with dignity. Part of that is ensuring our seniors can access the support and care they deserve,” said Congressman Moulton. “That's why I'm proud to have secured $1 million to complete the construction of 148 new low-income apartments for seniors in and around the City of Lynn. With the help of these new, supportive housing options from 2Life Communities, we can ensure our elderly neighbors can afford to retire in the place they call home.”
During his visit to the PACE Center, Rep. Moulton heard from 2Life Communities on the importance of projects like Solimine House in Massachusetts. Participants discussed the significance of the PACE model and the importance of integrating housing and healthcare within a physical campus to demonstrate how this site can serve as a national model for senior housing which leads to significant Medicaid and Medicare savings, as well as increased longevity and quality of life for its residents.
“Having a PACE center connected to the Solimine House significantly enhances our ability to deliver comprehensive clinical and social services,” said Element Care CEO Robert D. Wakefield, Jr. “Our partnership with 2Life Communities allows us to package quality housing with easy access to excellent healthcare, thereby addressing all of the factors that influence the health and wellbeing for many of our community’s most at-risk seniors.”
Local and state partners, including ward Councilor Dr. Peter Meaney, representatives from the offices of Mayor Jared Nicholson and Senator Brendan Crighton, as well as representatives from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Lynn Housing Authority, and Mass PACE Association, were also onsite for the discussion and tour.
The PACE Center is currently open and serving older adults across the Lynn community. The Center will serve residents of Solimine House who enroll in Element Care PACE after the project’s scheduled completion in early 2027.
About 2Life Communities
2Life has been at the heart of positive change in the affordable senior housing ecosystem since 1965, with our residents at the center of everything we do. Our mission is to ensure that all seniors have the opportunity to thrive regardless of their income level or background. 2Life develops and manages properties and advocates for and empowers older adults to age with purpose and joy. We meet the integrated needs of seniors guided by our shared values of kindness, community, and repairing the world.
About Element Care PACE
The Element Care PACE Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a non-profit healthcare organization with a simple mission: to help older adults live safely and comfortably in their homes and communities for as long as they can, keeping their stays in hospitals and nursing facilities as minimal as possible. Founded in 1994, Element Care PACE was established as a joint venture of the Lynn Community Health Center and Greater Lynn Senior Services to bring PACE to seniors in the community. Element Care PACE has seven PACE Adult Day Health Centers in Massachusetts covering the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, and Greater Boston communities.
See media coverage of the event here.
