Our top stories from 2024
2024 was a whirlwind year for senior housing in Boston. In case you missed them, here are our favorite stories from the past year.
In January, we wrote about how housing, healthcare, and homecare are a single, three-dimensional challenge for older adults, and what we feel is needed to address an outdated model. But it was also the month 2Life’s Saul and Gitta Kurlat Chief Executive Officer Amy Schectman was sworn in to the newly formed Massachusetts Housing Advisory Council, and we announced both the promotion of Zoe Weinrobe to Chief of Real Estate and state support for our Solimine House project in Lynn in the form of funding, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and Rental Vouchers.
February brought the expertise of Lisa Krinsky, MSW, LICSW, Director of The LGBTQIA+ Aging Project (a program of the Fenway Institute at Fenway Health), to 2Life’s Brighton Campus to share best practices for creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for members of the LGBTQIA+ population in senior housing. The goal of this staff training session was to build cultural competency for participants in relating to LGBTQIA+ older adults, both in general and specifically in regard to housing.
March was another big month. We first celebrated the grand reopening of J.J. Carroll House, the newest property on our Brighton Campus. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Massachusetts Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were all on hand to celebrate with residents, staff, our partners, and many other supporters. Then we received word of three major funding awards for projects in development: state funding to construct the Village Center at Solimine House in Lynn and the Village Center at Brooke House in Mattapan, and then funding from the Wu Administration and Boston’s Community Preservation Committee and Neighborhood Housing Trust to support the multigenerational Treehouse at Olmsted Village community in Mattapan. We are so grateful!
In April, we turned to volunteerism, sharing its community-building benefits and the role of volunteering at 2Life. And there is no better exemplar of the volunteer spirit than our 2024 L’Dor VaDor Award recipient, Alice Cutler. As CEO Amy Schectman put it, “Alice is a role model when it comes to giving time freely to help others. Her compassion is exemplary. At 2Life, we believe that loving kindness defines us, and Alice is a perfect example. She has a genuine concern for the community, and her generosity of spirit makes her stand out. She inspires me!”
An art show in May at Brown Family House in Brookline highlighted our expressive arts program and the ways in which it builds connection and resilience. Madeline Ludtke, a registered art therapist and master’s-level clinician who leads the program, explained how expressive arts combines “mental health care and the arts to support one’s well-being.”
In June, we took a look at how including shared spaces in the design of senior communities can both organically and programmatically move senior residents from isolation to connection. Despite increasing recognition of their value, funding mechanisms for their creation are few and far between — which 2Life hopes will change. According to Emily Levine, 2Life’s Chief Advocacy Officer, “The success of our communities depends on nurturing partnerships with stakeholders, individuals, and organizations that understand the power of connected spaces in building community.”
In July, after getting a lot of questions from potential residents about what exactly we mean by “Passive House,” we put together a brief introduction to Passive House construction principles and the value they offer to anyone living in Passive House properties.
August was momentous for Governor Maura Healey’s decision to sign the ground-breaking Affordable Homes Act at 2Life’s own Golda Meir House! To say we had a packed room was an understatement. This is the largest housing bond bill ever passed in Massachusetts history and includes $5.16 billion worth of funding authorizations for the creation and preservation of affordable housing over the next several years.
In September, you all showed a lot of love for our latest annual report, which featured photographs of many of the beautiful mosaics that appear across our campuses. “Mosaic” was a fitting theme for the report, as 2Life is composed of many colorful facets, brought to life each day by the residents and the staff dedicated to supporting and empowering them.
October brought an interfaith celebration of how we move: Brookline’s Blessing of the Fleet, a lovely event that borrows from the centuries-old tradition in Mediterranean and New England fishing communities in which local clergy bless fishing vessels to ensure a safe and bountiful season. Many gathered at 2Life’s Brown Family House in Brookline to raise their voices in song and receive a blessing for the support they receive to move through the world, whether from bodies or mobility devices.
In November, we were delighted to be recognized by The Women’s Edge and the Boston Globe as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts. This marked the third time 2Life has received this honor, the first under the co-leadership structure of Amy Schectman as CEO and Lizbeth Heyer as President, which leverages their 80 years of combined experience.
In December, we shared that J.J. Carroll House was featured in Dwell Magazine for its excellence in low-income housing design. “From a design perspective, we wanted to see how we could create density while still fostering community,” architect Jonathan Evans from MASS Design Group shared in the article. The project, which modernized 64 existing apartments and built a total of 142 apartments, placed first in the Affordable Housing category in the nationwide Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards.
As we head into the new year, we wish you a peaceful holiday season surrounded by those you love, and all the best for 2025!
