Hebrew SeniorLife Expands Affordable Senior Housing with Ribbon Cutting in Brookline

On June 26, Hebrew SeniorLife held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of 108 Centre Street, the newest addition to its Center Communities of Brookline campus. The building offers 54 apartments for older adults with service-enriched affordable housing. 108 Centre Street residents have access to a full range of support, including service coordination, wellness and health programs, lifelong learning and activities, fitness, spiritual care, and staff who help them continue to thrive in their community.

Among the many friends, neighbors, community organizations, and government officials who joined the celebration were Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus, Executive Office of Aging & Independence Secretary Robin Lipson, Brookline Select Board Chair Bernard Greene and other members of the Select Board, and representatives from MassHealth, MassHousing, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and the Town of Brookline.

Many state, local, and private partners were integral to the project’s success, including the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Eastern Bank, MassDevelopment, and RBC, as well as the development consultant, design, and construction teams Affirmative Investments, ICON Architecture, NEI General Contracting, and Tierney Development Services.

Hebrew SeniorLife is deeply grateful to donors who have supported the project, including The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Myra Musicant and Howard Cohen, Gabrielle and Richard Henken, and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

The event honored former Hebrew SeniorLife CEO and President Lou Woolf by opening the building’s Sarah and Louis J. Woolf Multipurpose Room.

Hebrew SeniorLife is committed to expanding affordable housing for older adults in Massachusetts. In the last 18 months, it has completed the expansion of our Simon C. Fireman Community in Randolph, opened Leyland Community in Dorchester, and is in the planning stages for new affordable senior housing communities in Stoughton and Roslindale.

Voices from the Celebration

Speakers at the ribbon cutting highlighted the impact of the new building on residents and the broader community, emphasizing the importance of affordable housing, supportive services, and partnership across sectors.

Resident Maureen Merner, the first person to move into the new building, shared brief remarks: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be one of the lucky people in the state of Massachusetts, who, because of this building being affordable, isn’t just driving by another building saying, ‘boy, I wish I could age well in a place like that.’”

Chairman of the Board Richard Henken: “Hebrew SeniorLife is focused on redefining every aspect of the aging experience for the better, and I think that we do that uniquely and compassionately and lovingly and with purpose, in a way that really nobody else does.”

President and CEO Adam Scott: “The affordable housing business isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the audacious thinker and optimist. Now, in place of the vacant blue Victorian house owned by Hebrew SeniorLife that was serving exactly no one, stands a beautiful building that maximizes every square inch of available land. It’s home to 54 apartments where older people will live and participate in all the incredible programming Center Communities of Brookline offers.”

Center Communities of Brookline Executive Director James Brown: “I want to recognize the residents of Center Communities of Brookline. Your flexibility and support for this project have been amazing. I had the opportunity to work with many members of the Town of Brookline. I want to acknowledge that true partnership. We are fortunate to have a collaborative and positive relationship.”

Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus: “This project is the gold standard for what seniors should have — an opportunity to have all of the supportive services and a beautiful, safe, and healthy place to live.”

Executive Office of Aging & Independence Secretary Robin Lipson: “We’re not just adding affordable apartments to the area. We are strengthening a community where older adults can thrive. We’re so proud to be a partner with Hebrew SeniorLife and to make this type of project the norm in Massachusetts, where we continue to lead the way to advance positive aging for all.

Brookline Select Board Chair Bernard Greene: “On behalf of the Select Board and the Town of Brookline, I want to thank Center Communities of Brookline for its role in addressing an important part of the housing crisis: providing affordable housing opportunities for people as they age and need housing oriented to the unique needs that they have as seniors and on a well-designed integrated campus setting.”

Eastern Bank Chief Executive Officer Denis Sheahan: “We’re delighted to have been involved in providing the financing for this affordable housing project with over 50 units for residents of Brookline. Since Eastern Bank’s founding in 1818, we’ve been committed to helping organizations and people reach their dreams, and as our region’s leading locally-based bank, we’re especially honored to be a participant in this important new housing development in Brookline.”

Massachusetts Housing Partnership Executive Director Clark Ziegler: “What’s behind me here is not a building, it’s a community. It’s enveloped in services and support and love and caring.”

Learn more about Center Communities of Brookline.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere; and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.