Places to Age

THE CHALLENGE:

Aging is a universal experience, and our community is no exception. Currently, 30% of Chaffee County's population is aged 65 and older, totaling over 6,069 people. By 2050, projections indicate this number will exceed 8,000. Per an article in The Colordo Sun, Chaffee County's median age has gone from 37.7 years old in 1990 to 49.8 years old in 2025, with a projection that by 2050 the county's median age will be 56.5 - one of the highest in the state.

Despite this growing demographic, Chaffee County lacks adequate housing options for older adults. Chaffee County has NO ASSISTED LIVING or MEMORY CARE facilities. As a result, many seniors are forced to leave the community when they require these services.

Even if people could stay in their homes, many older adults do not have immediate family close to provide daily care, much less keep up with the required maintenance for a larger home. In-home health care for older individuals is desirable, but those services are not readily available in our rural county. 

We must address this gap and provide appropriate housing and services for our aging population, allowing them to remain in the community they love.

THE COMMUNITY NEED:

As we certainly know, Chaffee County is a wonderful place to live and retire. However, we need to plan to keep it that way.

When working-age adults (30-50 years old) relocate here, they often bring their parents, who contribute to the community through volunteering and supporting local businesses. Similarly, when retirees move here, their adult children frequently follow, bringing valuable employment skills. This dynamic fosters a stable and growing community.

Places to Age, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is dedicated to establishing ASSISTED LIVING and MEMORY CARE facilities here in Chaffee County. 

This crucial project is needed in Chaffee County. It is also ambitious and requires courage and determination from all community members. 

PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY: 

To move our project forward efficiently, we have established key community partnerships.

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These partnerships have helped us to: 

• Secure 10 acres of land that is now annexed and zoned R-3
• Hire an experienced operator - WellAge. These industry experts are helping us to work through the project's economics and build the business plan, particularly informing the operational proforma and the programmatic side of the project
• Using a cooperative design/build approach, we have:
  
  • Hired an industry Architect - OZ Architecture to develop the schematic design 
  • Hired a local General Contractor - Diesslin Structures Inc., to help us determine the cost of development 
  • Hired a local civil engineer - Mr. Bill Hussey 
  • Hired an owner's rep - Mr. George Anderson

And, these partnerships have helped us to: ​

• Finalize the Business Plan
• A new market study
• Develop the 'Capital Stack' and help us access the required funding for such a large project
• Prepare properly for the construction phase