Several residents of a nursing home in upstate New York are reeling as the countdown to find a new home ticks closer to zero.
Approximately 15 remaining residents at The Northfield, a senior living facility in Fairport, face a July 25 deadline to either find a new place to live or risk being placed in a homeless shelter, News10NBC reports.
“Isn’t that awful to give you that kind of an option, shelters. Oh my God,” said Colleen Dooley, a resident who has yet to find a new place to live.
The heartbreaking news came as residents learned that Family Service of Rochester, the company that runs The Northfield, is shutting down all of its nursing homes and senior facilities due to financial difficulties. The company reportedly gave The Northfield’s residents 30 days to vacate and find a new home.
Now, with the deadline looming, remaining residents and their loved ones are sounding the alarm as they hope for a miracle.
Residents left scrambling with little notice
Windsor Wade, whose sister Sharon is among those residents seeking housing, shared the human impact of The Northfield’s closure with News10NBC. Sharon suffers from dementia with schizophrenia-like symptoms, though she remains stable with proper medication.
“She’s got very limited income,” said Wade. “She’s got Social Security and two very small pensions.”
Wade’s sister falls into a common financial gap where she’s earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little for most private facilities. This financial reality makes the 30-day timeline to vacate The Northfield particularly challenging.
According to News10NBC, Family Service of Rochester has recently been plagued by financial troubles. IRS documents reportedly reveal years of spending that exceeded income, resulting in the company accumulating more than $650,000 in debt by the end of 2024.
The company’s financial issues has led to the closure of the Enriched Housing Program, a Family Service of Rochester project that was set up to assist older and disabled New Yorkers with living independently in apartments.
The closure of the Enriched Housing Program forced residents in two Rochester housing complexes — Hudson Ridge and Danforth Towers — to vacate their apartments, with Family Service of Rochester giving residents just 10 days to do so.
Making matters worse, some residents of these towers were left without housing or access to their Social Security checks, as the Enriched Housing Program reportedly managed residents’s Social Security and disability benefits in exchange for providing support and paying rent on their behalf.
But it gets worse. According to the Rochester Housing Authority, Family Service of Rochester owes more than $400,000 in back rent. Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) said the care provided by Family Service of Rochester had gotten so bad that it posed health and safety risks to residents.
Health Department’s response raises questions
When questioned by News10NBC about whether placing seniors in homeless shelters constitutes as safe discharge, the DOH provided a carefully-worded statement:
“Family Service of Rochester must remain open until the last resident is safely discharged, consistent with state regulation, their approved voluntary closure plan and licensure requirements.
“Pursuant to Family Service of Rochester’s approved voluntary closure plan, Family Service of Rochester must work with residents to identify appropriate housing solutions that align with each resident’s preferences and individual needs, ensuring residents have sufficient time and support to make informed decisions about their next home and the services they choose.”
When pressed further on whether shelter placement meets the definition of safe discharge, the DOH reportedly sent the same statement.
America’s burgeoning senior care crisis
In August, 2024, The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living released a troubling report on the state of nursing homes and long term care facilities throughout the country.
“The 2024 Access to Care report highlights the intense economic and government pressures providers have faced since the pandemic, resulting in fewer care options and delays in care for our nation’s most vulnerable,” the report states.
“Specifically, the report looks at the cumulative effect of continued nationwide labor shortages, record inflation and increasing operational costs, and chronic government underfunding. These recent challenges have severely impacted seniors’s ability to access skilled care as nursing homes are forced to limit admissions, downsize, or close altogether.”
According to the report, at least 774 nursing homes have closed nationwide since 2020, with the closures displacing more than 28,000 residents. Meanwhile, despite the increasing demand for nursing homes due to a rapidly aging population, the creation of new nursing homes is in decline.
“In 2023, only 37 new facilities opened their doors,” the report states. “This is compared to 73 new facilities that opened in 2020; 71 in 2021; and 55 in 2022. So far in 2024, only seven new facilities have opened.”
While the DOH’s statement indicates that Family Service of Rochester must remain open until all residents are safely placed in a new home, the continued uncertainty about what constitutes “safe placement” leaves residents in limbo.
As for Wade, he’ll keep fighting for his sister.
“I will not allow her to be destitute,” he said. “It will not happen.”
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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