Historic Vassar-Warner Home rebounds from financial hole, will welcome senior residents again
During News 12's visit to the Vassar-Warner Home in the city's historic district, some people in the revived adult day program said they were looking for more than just daytime services.
An iconic 150-year-old senior living facility in Poughkeepsie that ran out of money when it was most needed is making a comeback greater than its new leaders were expecting.
During News 12's visit to the Vassar-Warner Home in the city's historic district, some people in the revived adult day program said they were looking for more than just daytime services.
"I would love to live here permanently," Alice Houghton said. "I don't know if that's going to happen, but that would be the dream come true."
The assisted living facility closed in 2024. Rising maintenance costs, low Medicaid reimbursements and subsidies for lower-income residents bled the non-profit dry.
Then, the families of people who were displaced when the home closed got involved.
Ericka Von Salews, Vassar-Warner Home's executive director, said a new board with new ideas and new energy raised enough funds to revive the day program a few months after the facility ceased residential services.
Then the home's boosters came into more money, allowing the home to relaunch as a new independent living facility.
Von Salews said the board and staff have been holding community events where they have met new people with big hearts.
"[They] felt that there was a need and knew that we were hitting some roadblocks," Von Salews said, "and they came forward to help us."
She told News 12 the new independent living model is more manageable than the previous assisted living model, which required more money to operate and involved more variables. If the relaunch keeps going well, the board may consider adding assisted living units in the future.
The assistance cannot stop here, she said, adding that it must be a constant process.
Instead of Vassar-Warner directly helping lower-income residents afford to live here, they are seeking individual sponsorships.
"That pool of people who would be willing to 'adopt' a senior for that person's housing here would be an amazing program to have," Von Salews said.
The staff and board are moving forward slowly and staying organized, she said, and that if the outreach stays consistent, Vassar-Warner might eventually offer more programs to accommodate more seniors.
The staff and board are reviewing applications and expect the first residents to move in soon.
