Tiffin's Tallest Building
Kiwanis Manor, Tiffin’s tallest building, is home to a community of
126 elderly residents. The facility offers affordable one and two bedroom
apartments promoting independent living and a community center.
What was only an “idea” from the local Kiwanis Club in 1966,
turned into reality when the local club received a $2.1 million dollar loan
to construct a 10-story complex. The Kiwanis Manor of Tiffin, Inc., a not-for-profit
corporation, with the state of Ohio made the decisions for the construction
and management of the facility. The nine trustees of this corporation came
from the membership of the Tiffin Kiwanis Club.
The corporation named Nick Milleti, as the Senior Consultant, Wallace Teare
as the architect, and Hossler Construction Co. of Tiffin as the General Contractor.
Ground was broken in November, 1970 and keys were presented to the Kiwanis
Club on February 4, 1972. After nearly thirty years, this handsome building
has not changed from its original idea, but has and is changing to meet current
trends and market conditions.
In 1972 Kiwanis Manor was the only facility of its kind in the area. It offered
135 apartments consisting of 36 one-bedroom apartments and 99 efficiency
apartments. Monthly rent included refrigerator, stove and all utilities (except
telephone). The apartments were quickly occupied and much of the Kiwanis
Club Members’ time was spent as an advocate for programs and services
for the elderly in Tiffin. It was a time when there were no senior recreation
centers, no transportation, no meal programs, no information and referral
or outreach programs, and no homemaker or home health assistance in our community.
In less than four years Kiwanians chaired committees and were charter members
to organizations today that offer affordable services that support independent
living. All of these organizations today provide services for the Kiwanis
Manor- in addition to the services provided by the facility.
The first administrator was Reverend Ralph Chapman, who served from February
1, 1972 to December 31, 1973. The second and current administrator since
January 15, 1973 is Thomas Giebel.
In the late 80’s and 90’s Tiffin gained additional affordable
apartment facilities through rehabilitation or new construction. Kiwanis
Manor was not the only choice for affordable housing. These facilities were
constructed under newer government housing programs where the apartment size
design was updated to the needs in the market place and the services available
in the community. With many organizations offering affordable services to
the elderly, many are staying in their homes much longer than they did in
years past. In the last couple of years, a new level of housing called assisted
living has entered the local marketplace.
In 1995 Kiwanis Manor set out new goals for a new program of independent
living that will set itself apart from the competitors and still maintain
its affordable housing program. First, a Service Coordinator was added to
the administrative staff. This individual evaluates and assists those residents
who are in need of services to receive them at an affordable price and monitors
the performance of service providers. The result is an elderly resident who
can maintain independent living for a longer period of time. There
is no charge for service coordination.
Second, the owners recognized that more residents were keeping and maintaining
automobiles so covered off street parking is now available for an additional
fee.
Third, the owners of the building developed a plan to convert its very large
inventory of 97 efficiency apartments to the larger floor plan of one-bedroom
apartments. This plan is 60% complete and will be fully completed in the
next 24 months, providing an inventory of 85 one-bedroom, 4 two-bedroom and
16 efficiency apartments.
Kiwanis Manor provides a full time staff of administration, recreation, maintenance
and security. The building is host to a beauty shop and gift shop. Rooms
are available for lounging, using a treadmill, a computer learning center
with internet access, and working on arts and crafts. There is also a multi-purpose
room that is used for hot lunches. Cable TV and closed circuit television
are available. The building is supervised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Kiwanis Manor owns a bus that supports shopping and recreational transportation.
Section 8 rental assistance is available to eligible persons in 97 of its
units, whereby a resident pays 30% of their monthly income after adjustments
for medical expenses not covered by insurance, including the cost of insurance.
The cost of an efficiency apartment is $285 per month and for a one-bedroom
apartment is $356 per month. Eighty seven of the above units receive rental
assistance.
Approximately 11 units (or 10%) of the future 105 units are available to
qualified individuals or couples less than 62 years of age. To be qualified,
a single person must have a total income of less than $25,350 and a couple
less than $29,000.
Resident eligibility (except as noted above) is age 62 or older, in good
health, able to exit the facility in an emergency without staff assistance,
able to take care of themselves and their apartment with limited assistance,
and qualify at no more than 50% of the area median income as published regularly
in the Federal Register.
When one enters the Kiwanis Manor complex, there is no indication of an aging
30 year-old building as it is tastefully decorated. An aggressive maintenance
program refreshes and updates the building’s infrastructure systems.
The building is in full compliance with accessibility and safety systems.
An independent living concept is still an important part of Kiwanis Manor.
The facility is not a care giver, but cares about its community of residents
in providing resources for continued independent living.
While there is a waiting list for the one and two bedroom apartments, immediate
occupancy is available for efficiency apartments. Interested individuals
should contact Thomas Giebel at the Kiwanis Manor office at 448-4541 Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for an appointment.
Material for this article came from notes from Tom Giebel and from the Kiwanis
Manor Story. This landmark building in Tiffin is not only a structure of
which we can all be proud, but it represents a first milestone in our community’s
efforts to care for the needs of our elderly citizens.
- Percy