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Residents, officials celebrate renovations at affordable senior living community in Elgin

Resident Dawn Bays said the 14 months of renovations at Elgin Manor, a 100-unit affordable senior community, weren’t always easy to live through, but it was worth it.

“It is terrific for someone like myself, who is in the financial position that I’m in, to have a place that is warm and safe and comfortable,” Bays said.

  POAH Communities purchased Elgin Manor, an affordable senior housing community on Fleetwood Drive, in 2019. On Monday, a ceremony celebrated the completion of a 14-month renovation of the property. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com

A renovation of the community on Fleetwood Drive just east of McLean Boulevard, the first at the property in decades, included new windows, air conditioning, appliances, flooring and bathroom upgrades to all the apartments.

Site improvements included a redesigned community room and front lobby, modernized lighting and elevators, better security and HVAC systems and new landscaping.

  A redesigned community room is one of the upgrades to the Elgin Manor affordable senior housing community. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com

The property was acquired in 2019 by Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a nonprofit developer, owner and operator of affordable rental apartments in more than a dozen communities in the Chicago area.

Senior Vice President Bill Eager said the improvements go beyond just the physical.

“We’re deploying our community impact team here to help residents access the services they need to improve their lives,” Eager said. “We work closely with residents to make sure that our communities are more than just places to live.”

POAH’s purchase of the property also included the Abbey Saunders Wing Schoolhouse in downtown Elgin, a converted 27-unit affordable family apartment complex that underwent recent renovations.

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain said it was great to see the facility upgraded.

“We have to reinvest in infrastructure, and part of the infrastructure of our community is housing and affordable housing,” Kaptain said. “We need to find ways to provide quality housing for people, no matter what their income.”

Resident Sue-Anne Benna said her “jaw dropped” when she saw the improvements.

“This has been such a blessing,” she said.

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