Housing plan for deaf seniors wins funding;
Affordable 51-unit complex to be built

FREMONT -- After years of work, a nonprofit developer has won the final piece of financing needed to build Northern California's first affordable housing project for deaf seniors, a 51-unit complex in Irvington.

The California Debt Limit Allocation Committee has authorized $6.4 million in tax-exempt bond financing for the project, completing a complex financing package to build an $11.2 million affordable apartment project. Construction is slated to begin in April.

"It's a thrilling event in my life," said Julian "Buddy" Singleton, president of the Deaf Senior Retirement Corporation and a Centerville resident. "It's been a long time overdue for us. We've been trying for it for over 12 years and finally got it carved in stone now."

The Deaf Senior Retirement Corp. -- a collaboration of Satellite Housing Inc. and the Bay Area Coalition for Deaf Senior Citizens -- will build Fremont Oak Gardens on Driscoll Road near Beatrice Street. When done, it will offer one-bedroom, 500-square-foot apartments for $378 to $797 per month depending on income.

The apartments -- designed with the help of a deaf architect -- will have keyboard telephones, a computer lab and strobe lights to indicate doorbells and alarms.

The project is designed to emphasize visual communication. For example, the layout has clear lines of sight and two elevators will have glass windows so residents can sign if they are stuck inside. And the staff will be fluent in American Sign Language.

Also, programs for deaf residents will offer legal and health services. The California School for the Deaf will offer a grandparenting program at Fremont Oaks Gardens so residents can serve as mentors for its students.

The apartments are designed to eliminate many of the problems deaf seniors faced in traditional retirement homes.

Unable to communicate with staff members or fellow residents, deaf seniors often grow isolated in retirement homes and assisted living centers, Singleton said.

"We deteriorated very fast," he said through a deaf telephone relay. "We want to enjoy our last golden years in a happy way."

MDULAbout 16,000 deaf seniors live in the Bay Area, said Ryan Chao, director of housing development for Satellite Housing. Fremont, with about 5,000 deaf residents, is a hub for that community because of the school for the deaf and the city's many amenities for the deaf.

The idea for a deaf senior facility first arose in Fremont in the 1970s, Singleton said. In the mid-1990s, a group of deaf community members tried again. With Satellite Housing's expertise and the hard work of local committees, the project got on track, he said.

The group bought 2 acres on Driscoll Road -- not far from the school for the deaf and near shopping and public transportation -- from St. Anne's Episcopal Church. A complex financing package was put in place, including $4.1 million from the city of Fremont, and money from the county, the state, private donors and the cities of Hayward, Livermore and Pleasanton.

"I think (the wide number of contributors) really recognizes that, given the fact there isn't anything else in Northern California, this is a really serious need throughout the region," Chao said.