Back home in Friendship Gardens

Beulah Townsend, 88, found a new home last month, one that she can afford on a fixed income.

She was one of the first residents to move into Friendship Gardens, a 25-unit apartment house built under the East Central Community Organization to provide affordable housing for seniors.

“What’s amazing is the biggest room is the bathroom,” she said about the facility that was designed to accommodate people with different physical capabilities, including limited mobility.

This new housing in the historic East Central neighborhood was a long-in-coming project headed by the governing board of the East Central Community Center and accomplished in cooperation with the city’s Community Development Department. The $3.2 million project took advantage of federal Housing and Urban Development funds.

It is located along a bus line on the north side of Fifth Avenue across from the community center.

The cost is extremely affordable for Townsend, who moved back to Spokane to be with family.

Her rent for the one-bedroom unit is $372 a month, which includes a $34 monthly allowance for electrical use. Townsend said she lives off Social Security and a small pension that totals about $1,250 a month.

“I can live with a few pennies left over,” she said of the rent amount.

The name Friendship Gardens was chosen by seniors at the community center, reflecting the broader community involvement that led to its construction.

Included in the project funding was a commitment by the community organization to provide $75,000 for the project.

The organization still needs to raise about $35,000 in cash or donations for new furnishings for the entry and other common spaces. The apartment building needs a computer, computer desk, large-screen TV, benches, couches, chairs, art work and a piano.

Shannon Meagher of Kiemle & Hagood, which has been overseeing the project under contract with the city, can be reached for donations at 755-7510.

Betsy Williams, president of the ECCO board, said the idea for the project dates back about 20 years.

Initially, the city used HUD funds to purchase a row of small, older houses along the north side of Fifth Avenue across the street from the community center. Then, the ECCO board stepped in to oversee the project and hired Kiemle & Hagood to manage it.

“This is a blessing overflow,” Williams said. “It was like a no-brainer.”

Meagher said that the project is supposed to be home for residents of the neighborhood, and anyone who has moved away over the years is welcome to come back. “We are looking for people who need affordable housing,” she said.

Not only is the facility equipped with well constructed rooms, it also has a raised-bed garden area at the rear and a modest-sized community room.

The exterior design includes knee braces, metal strapping and a pitched-roof gable over the entry to fit in with the Craftsman architectural style found throughout the area.

The building was designed by Zeck Butler Architects of Spokane. The contractor was KOP Construction, also of Spokane.

“The community wanted it to be reflective of the community,” Meagher said.