DOVER — Senior citizens will have another place to call home once the Luther Village III is completed.
The four-story building at 101 Babb Drive in Dover, which is expected to open its doors in October, is designed for low-income seniors 62 year old and over.
It’s the third of its kind on the property.
“We been building this for about two years now,” said Kenneth Richter, deputy director of Luther Village.
“It’s great knowing that it’s almost complete and that we can provide this type of service for these seniors.”
Four other buildings make up the first Luther Towers complex, off Silver Lake on Kings Highway. This will be the seventh building.
It will have 45 one-bedroom apartments.
Luther Towers and Luther Village of Dover are operated under the guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202/8 programs. Both are apartment campuses for seniors 62 and older.
The resident’s portion of the rent is 30 percent of the total income adjusted for allowable medical expenses.
The new building will be specifically for seniors with income below U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development maximum program limits.
The maximum salary to be eligible is $35,050.
Also, the head of the household must be 62 years or older, applicants must disclose Social Security numbers for all family members listed on the application, all adults in each applicant family agree to sign a consent to the release of information form prior to receiving assistance and annually thereafter, the unit for which the family is applying will be the family’s only residence, applicants are U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens.
“It’s not subsidized,” Mr. Richter said. “It’s a fixed rent. We plan on renting it for about $800 a month, which includes utilities.”
Gary Coy, executive director of Luther Towers/Luther Village of Dover, said it’s great having another option for seniors.
“The waiting lists for these residences are five to seven years,” Mr. Coy said.
“We’ve been able to clean that list. We’ve already contacted all of the people that are on that list. Having another building helps a lot. It’s very limited (the amount of) apartments available for that low-income niche.”
The building also will include a salon, laundry room, library, theater, computer room, exercise room and a arts and craft center.
Target and Safeway are within walking distance from the apartments, and a weekly bus service is offered to assist with shopping and other needs.
“We think the building is in a great location,” Mr. Richter said. “It’s close to downtown and there’s transportation available. There are buses that take them to the shopping area.
“It’s just in a great spot.”
The applications are now open, and Mr. Coy expects rooms to fill up quickly.
“We look forward to a lot of people signing up,” Mr. Coy said. “They can come in and sign an application or they get one and return it. People can also call and get one.”
Mr. Coy said there isn’t a waiting list. “But 15 people have signed up so far and have already picked their rooms out. We anticipate a lot of people to apply, as there’s a need out there for this type of housing.”
Call 302-674-3780 for more information.