Growing old should be the golden chapter in one’s life, but for seniors living in Southeast Dallas, aging only earns further hardship. In Jubilee Park, 30% of seniors live below the poverty line-- only $12,261 per year for an individual over 65. This means that senior citizens struggle to afford basic necessities like food, medical care, and quality housing.
When bcWORKSHOP and Jubilee Park & Community Center surveyed the neighborhood’s landscape in 2008 in a series of community meetings, neighbors of all ages advocated for the need for senior housing. “We have a lot of seniors renting homes in bad shape,” one resident reported. “Landlords haven’t taken care of their properties.”
That much was clear to the Jubilee Team. They had witnessed firsthand seniors living in homes with porches caving in, boarded up windows, and no running water. Just a few years ago, they had even helped relocate a senior whose house had a tree growing through the middle of the living room. Many of Jubilee’s elders had lived in the neighborhood for decades, and some for generations. Ensuring that they could age in place and with dignity was just a small repayment for the years of wisdom, love, and work they had poured into the community to make Jubilee Park better.
Gurley Place: Senior Housing By Seniors, For Seniors
Photo credit bcWORKSHOP
Through a series of community input sessions in 2011, seniors in the community guided the design of what would become Gurley Place, a 24-unit housing complex adjacent to the Park at Jubilee. Individual balconies and a shared parklet allow for easy access to the outdoors, while a walking path and picnic tables promote a sense of community. Rent-capped at $475 a month, seniors at Jubilee are able to enjoy a safe place to live and receive services from Jubilee like senior lunches twice weekly and enrichment activities. Most importantly, Gurley Place’s tie to Jubilee means that Gurley Place seniors can rest easy knowing that, no matter what, the Jubilee Family is there for them.
Mr. Harris’s Story
Mr. Harris peeked out of his blinds. He needed to leave his apartment for some groceries, but he was scared. Because he was a senior citizen, he had been targeted by young men in his building, and things had escalated from taunts to being pushed over on his walks. He knew he had to move, and soon. The landlord's neglect of the building was bad enough, but the torment was becoming too much to bear.
When Jubilee called to ask Mr. Harris if he would like to move into Gurley Place, Jubilee's low-cost senior housing complex, he was elated. He had been attending senior lunch-n-learns at Jubilee and had always taken note of Jubilee's 24 cheerful homes along Gurley Avenue, especially lately, as spring flowers had begun to bloom in the flower pots on the doorsteps.
Within days, Mr. Harris arrived at Gurley Place, suitcase in hand. He walked up to his unit and unlocked the door. Finally, he was home.
The Golden Years at Jubilee
Gurley Place is only one small part of senior services at Jubilee. Jubilee’s senior housing repair program, piloted in 2019, promotes aging in place by offering free-of-cost home repairs.
In addition to housing, Jubilee offers complete wraparound services ranging from food assistance, to exercise classes, to enrichment activities like senior parties and field trips. By weaving in education in all that we do, Jubilee strives to spark curiosity and inspire a culture of achievement in every area of life, no matter what age. To empower Southeast Dallas seniors to dream and thrive this North Texas Giving Day, visit NorthTexasGivingDay.org/JubileePark.