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HALO Coalition seeks options to provide housing for disabled, elderly

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

By MARCI ELLIOTT, mrelliott@naplesnews.com

A Southwest Florida coalition grew stronger and more determined to address a housing crisis as more service-providers for the disabled and the elderly jumped on the bandwagon Tuesday.

"You're taking a broad-brush approach to Collier County, and it has to be that way," Geoff Moebius, administrator of Cleveland Clinic Florida in North Naples, said to the Housing with Assisted Living Options (HALO) Coalition.

"It's kind of like consulting: You throw a lot of ideas out, and some of them stick to the wall. At least you're throwing out ideas, and that's great."

AT A GLANCE

The HALO Coalition has scheduled a general partners meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, at the FGCU Naples Center, 1010 Fifth Ave. S. in the Heart Fax Building. He also told of HALO's first regional chapter meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, at FGCU in Whitaker Hall Room 101, and of a two-day HALO seminar set for Aug. 15 and 16. For more information on the HALO Coalition, call Gary Kluckhuhn, director, at 732-7315 or visit the web site, www.halocoalition.org.

HALO Coalition organizer and Chairman Gary Kluckhuhn asked Moebius if that meant Cleveland Clinic would become part of the group and Moebius replied that it would.

Kluckhuhn, director of Florida Gulf Coast University's Center for Assisted Living Innovation brought together agencies from throughout Southwest Florida less than a month ago to discuss ways to coordinate their services to the elderly and disabled who need help with daily activities, such as medications, dressing, moving about and other basic needs.

HALO Coalition was the result.

The group has determined that finding affordable housing — especially in Collier County — is the No. 1 priority. Federal money is available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) but ironically the cost of land in Collier County is cost prohibitive. The coalition is looking for donors to help with the situation, which Kluckhuhn and others said is in a crisis stage.

Another coalition newcomer, Armalavage and Associates, a real estate appraisal firm, joined the coalition at Tuesday's meeting, held in FGCU's College of Business.

Bill Hunt of Armalavage asked if HALO had considered contacting private, for-profit apartments in Naples as a possible solution to the housing crisis for the elderly and disabled population.

"I could do that today," Hunt said. "There are many people in Naples who want recognition for doing good. It could be a beautiful thing."

Kent Sheets of Goodwill Industries said his organization had worked on many projects to provide housing in Lee and Charlotte counties with HUD funds, with many low-income individuals paying as little as $100 to $150 a month for apartments. He was asked if the same could be done in Collier.

"I'm not interested in coming to Collier County," Sheets said. "There are too many opportunities in Lee and Charlotte. If someone could donate land or pay for land, this could happen (in Collier). The land is there — it's just not available."

Paul Starzyk, of Sunrise of Collier County senior and disabled services, said many of his clients weren't able to work more than 15 to 20 hours a week at minimum wage — "And that's not much," he said, demonstrating the need for more affordable housing for the elderly and the disabled. "The housing issue is forcing them out."

But Starzyk praised the efforts of the HALO Coalition and of its agency members for coming together so quickly and realizing the critical need for affordable housing first, and also for services.

"The answers are in networking all these ideas," he said.

Evelyn Widen of Senior Office Services said the HALO Coalition needed a central location so it could be recognized in the community.

"That's a good point, but it's not our priority," Kluckhuhn said. "Right now our priority is finding housing."

Kluckhuhn said the more people know about HALO Coalition and its priorities for housing, the more chances it will have for success.

"If we raise the consciousness in the community, we can do something about all that," he said.

Kluckhuhn told the group the HALO Coalition has scheduled a general partners meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, at the FGCU Naples Center, 1010 Fifth Ave. S. in the Heart Fax Building. He also told of HALO's first regional chapter meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, at FGCU in Whitaker Hall Room 101, and of a two-day HALO seminar set for Aug. 15 and 16.

During this workshop, representatives from the internationally recognized Eden Alternative/Greenhouse Project, which specializes in housing, products and services for the elderly and the disabled, will tell about what they offer and how it could work in Southwest Florida.

Kluckhuhn said he was pleased with the growing response to the HALO Coalition.

"It's coming together. It's snowballing," he said. "People in Tallahassee are paying attention and asking, 'What's going on down there?' So far we've had 100 percent cooperation. It's just phenomenal."

For more information on the HALO Coalition, call Gary Kluckhuhn, director, at 732-7315 or visit the web site, www.halocoalition.org.

Also in today's Naples section:
Abbott denouces proposed contract with superintendent-to-be Chambers
City to increase security at utility sites
Collier Boulevard widening proposal touches off controversy
Corrections
HALO Coalition seeks options to provide housing for disabled, elderly
Long-time Realtor James Carroll dead at 71
Man arrested on rape charge after car chase
No arrests made in string of Naples burglaries
North Naples man could face death penalty in fatal stabbing
Photo: Bees be gone
Photo: Lascheids honored in Washington D.C.
Police Beat: Crime reports for Collier County
Rural land owners turn out to have their say on Collier growth plan
Shadowlawn Elementary gets state grant to futher literacy efforts
Sheriff's deputies rescue woman from burning house

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