Winchester Court Opens New Addition

Winchester Court is about 40 residents larger than it was last month, thanks to the opening of nine new buildings at the housing project for low-income seniors.

All units in the $2.1 million addition at Stone and Garland are already spoken for.

“It was filled prior to the opening,” said Kay Reilly of Kiemle & Hagood, the company managing the apartments.

Winchester Court is sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane and was funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Residents there pay rent equal to 30 percent of their monthly income.

The units feature bright, windowed living rooms. They have kitchens, bedrooms and spacious bathrooms.

“I love it here,” Lucille Gerjets said while unpacking cans of green beans and boxes of macaroni and cheese, the air thick with the smell of new carpet. “It’s really nice.”

She moved all the way from North Dakota to be closer to her sister, who lives in Hillyard. Her sister worried about Gerjets living alone and so far away.

When Winchester Court opened it was all abuzz with stories like hers, as well as with the business of moving.

The addition doesn’t look like stereotypical subsidized housing. The modern, solid-looking architecture doesn’t have a tired, boxy appearance.

“As projects like this go, this is built like a luxury apartment for HUD subsidized housing,” said Bill Fixx, president of Central Terrace, Inc., the non-profit corporation that handles projects for the diocese.

Winchester Court first opened in the 1980s. These latest units bring the total number of apartments to 119.

Part of Winchester Court’s appeal is its location next door to the Northeast Community Center, which offers meals and recreation for seniors. The Hillyard public library sits just behind the center.

“It’s just right there,” Reilly said.

, DataTimes