CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — A new senior housing development has officially opened.
Florida’s largest affordable housing developer, Housing Trust Group, is welcoming home residents at the Fountains at Hidden Lake. Already, the new community is helping seniors in the area live comfortably as a celebration unfolds.
“It’s an exciting development and we’re very proud to have seniors have a safe, clean, affordable housing as a place to live with dignity at very affordable rents,” said Jordan Tolman, COO of Housing Trust Group.
This brand-new community is just the latest in affordable housing for seniors in Citrus County. That includes seniors like Julie Sauve, who has been calling the community home since July.
“I kind of felt that it was time for a change,” said Sauve. “I wanted to go into my later years someplace where I knew it was going to be safe and I’d be able to make a lot of new friends and feel very comfortable.”
Before settling down, Sauve said it was a struggle finding affordable housing in the Tampa Bay area. She previously lived in Clearwater but said rent prices were becoming unaffordable.
“There’s nowhere else where we could get anything as amazing as this for the price that each one of us pay,” says Sauve. “It’s so important for seniors going into their later years to be able to have the stability of having a home like this.”
It’s a struggle Tolman and the rest of Housing Trust Group realize. Rent prices start as low as $787 for residents.
“The population here has been growing tremendously,” said Tolman. “And as the population keeps growing, prices keep increasing and increasing naturally. So, to be able to provide affordable housing for seniors aged 62 and older is really a great blessing.”
According to the City of Crystal River, the median age of residents is between 63 and 64 years old, making up about 36% of the population.
“I’d say get your name in as quick as you can,” said Sauve. “It’s going to fill up quick. There’s just no place like it, I just love it here.”
There may be plans for an expansion in the near future. Tolman said the Housing Trust Group is exploring building a second phased community that would sit near the current development.
Calvin Lewis
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