Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
April 24, 2002
Archdiocesan housing complexes `home' to low-income seniors
Residents say a sense of community pervades Church operated high-rises
By Alwen Bledsoe
The stories that bring people of all faiths and colors to the archdiocese's senior housing complexes are diverse, but what keeps people there is community. At what otherwise might be a lonely time of life, many seniors are rediscovering that friendship is still the essence of life.
The archdiocese operates eight high-rises for low-income and handicapped seniors. Six are in the Denver metro area, said Sister Mary Siefken, director of HUD operations for Archdiocesan Housing.
A sense of gratitude pervades many of the complexes. It is perhaps most obvious at the mostly African-American St. Martin Plaza in the Five-Points neighborhood. Here genuine thankfulness and witty senses of humor have been sharpened throughout lives spanning the world wars, the Depression and blatant racism. Community seems especially vital and important to these residents.
Naomi Queenan, a 75-year-old resident at the plaza, said: "I can be thankful for a place like this. My husband was a minister a long time ago. I lived in some shacks that helped me to be thankful."
Nola Lee, 62, has lived all over the United States and is perfectly content to call St. Martin her home.
"I plan to die up in here as long as I don't have to move anymore," she said. "I hate to move like God hates sin. Where I hang my hat is my home. I make the home. The home doesn't make me."
Once in awhile the group will indulge in a passing comment about how nice the building is, but mostly they dwell on the people who make up the soul of the complex.
"I love everybody here. In my old age I like to be around people," Queenan said. "I don't stay in my apartment too much and that's good for me. I don't like being alone."
Residents wander in and out of common rooms, weaving their way through lively conversations. The verandah and a yard provide lively gathering places in the summer where barbecues are a frequent pastime. A garden outside blooms with tomatoes, squash, vegetables and onions in the summer.
Along with the community so many find in the plazas, the little perks and amenities help to make them feel like home, Sister Siefken said
"We want them to have a sense of pride," she explained. "It's their home. It's not just renting an apartment."
Cathedral Plaza, located in the center of downtown Denver inhabits the space right behind the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. From a balcony on the 11th floor residents can even see Pikes Peak on a clear day.
"I feel like we're sitting in God's back pocket," said a resident who wished not to be identified.
With 11 floors and 154 units, the building holds Vietnamese, Russians, Czechs, Americans and Chinese.
"We have a wonderful diversity of people," Sister Siefken marveled.
Pinochle games, backgammon, cards and various activities including picnics, gambling and concerts help residents get to know one another. The cafeteria downstairs, the only of its kind in the senior complexes, provides residents with affordable, easy meals as well as company.
Activities and services inside the building abound. A garden room houses huge green plants. A nurse and a massage therapist visit periodically. And classes on everything from computer use to Tai Chi to avoiding senior fraud keep the residents' minds and bodies active. The health of souls is also closely attended to, and retired Father Robert Nevans says Mass in the garden room every day except Saturday, residents said. The room is also available for services conducted for those of other religions and denominations, Sister Siefken said.
"You don't even have to leave the building," she added.
Residents at Higgins Plaza, also in Denver, find visits from local children enlivening. About four times a year, elementary school children from Good Shepherd Catholic School visit residents.
"Children make me feel so alive," said Alice Johnson, 65.
Francis Nobles, 60, agreed, saying, "It makes you feel wanted."
At Christmas residents decorated gingerbread houses with their young visitors. Nobles christened the delectable village "Candyopolis." Both Higgins Plaza and Good Shepherd had their own gingerbread buildings in the village, added residents.
Vivian Clark, 75, is resident manager at Higgins Plaza. She proudly displays a biography of her life scrawled in childish print and illustrated in crayon.
The colorful booklet highlights Clark's work as a mechanic during World War II when she worked on B-17s for 10 hours a day seven days a week.
Movies, the Superbowl and the Olympics have all been known to bring residents together for parties around the television. Clark also said that a Thanksgiving celebration organized by the residents drew at least 70 residents and family members. Outings have taken residents to bingo and to the mountains.
"You can (do) anything you want if you suggest it to an administrator. It just helps us out," Johnson said.
But as for many of the seniors at the plazas, it is community that makes the high-rise home.
"We are family. It's more like that all the time," Clark said.
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