Clinton’s new seniors’ housing facility is taking shape.

Workers have built the footprint for the 20-unit facility on the former Clinton elementary site, with plans to add the roof and install heating and electrical in the next few months. At the same time, members of the Clinton and District Assisted Living Society are preparing to order supplies for cupboards, floors, doors and other amenities for the 600-plus-sq.ft self-contained units.

If all goes well, the facility should be welcoming its new residents as early as September.

“It’s wonderful and we’re so excited,” said Judy Hampton, chair of the Clinton and District Assisted Living Society. “We’re a little community to pull something like this off. We will get jobs out of this, houses will open up … there’s going to be a lot of benefits.”

The move to develop a supportive living facility in Clinton began more than 10 years ago to meet a growing need in the village, where one-third of all residents are over 65. Although Clinton has the Villa, an independent living facility, those needing supportive living suites previously had to leave the community.

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The facility had initially been approved for 10 units but the province expanded the project to 20 units last year, which meant the society had to “really scramble” to start construction on a larger site, Hampton said.

The project, when completed, will be modelled on Ashcroft’s Thompson View Lodge. Each unit will be self-contained with a separate kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom and storage room. Residents can bring in their own furniture and will be offered two meals a day as well as a cleaning service. Friends and family are welcome to visit.

“We wanted our seniors to be able to retire and be in the community for as long as they can until they have to move to the next step,” said Hampton, whose mother lived at the Ashcroft lodge for seven years. “It’s just like one big happy family. They get looked after very well.”

The next step for the society is determining how much staff will be needed for the upgraded facility, which will serve Loon Lake, 70 Mile, Green Lake, Canoe Creek, Dog Creek, Cache Creek, and Ashcroft. As far as potential residents go, Hampton said, “we’ve got more (people) on the waiting list than we’ve got room.”

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