Quality housing and living for seniors in Stettler celebrated a golden day as Heart Haven lodge was honoured for 50 years of service with a special ceremony and festivities on June 11.
“We are proud of the level of service offered at Heart Haven, Willow Creek and Paragon Place and other units in the region under the housing authority the past 50 years,” said Les Stulberg, who chairs the housing board and serves as councilor for the County of Stettler as the representative for Byemoor-Endiang.
Provincial government seniors and housing ministers expressed words of appreciation to the local partners.
“The lodge has a long history of caring and compassion,” said Seniors and Community Supports Minister Mary Anne Jablonski, MLA for Red Deer North.
“This kind of housing is important because seniors want to stay close to home and their families and stay in the communities they helped build.”
Those words were echoed by Housing Minister Jonathan Denis.
“Accessibility to seniors and affordable housing is necessary and makes Stettler a stronger community,” said Denis, MLA for Calgary-Egmont.
Local municipal officials also acknowledged the valuable service to provide housing in the region.
“You have made this community what it is and you have given this community life beyond what you can imagine,” Town of Stettler Councillor Leona Thorogood said as she recognized the vital service by Heart Haven and the housing authority.
She further stated that seniors’ lodges are valued by younger generations, as several youth often visit Heart Haven to play games with the seniors and listen to each other’s stories of life.
“Youth love to come to Heart Haven and have fun,” said Thorogood, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Dick Richards.
To mark the golden anniversary is a tribute to the quality management of staff at Heart Haven, said County of Stettler Reeve Earl Marshall.
“We are committed to have seniors’ facilities in this community to keep seniors in our community,” Marshall said.
With a current capacity of 71 residents, Heart Haven was officially opened on April 11, 1960 on the grounds of Stettler Hospital on Highway 12 with 50 beds as one of many seniors’ lodges built under the Alberta provincial government during that time.
The idea of providing lodge-type accommodation across Alberta was conceived by the Social Credit government in the late 1950s.
For the Stettler area, the first meeting to discuss a possible location for a lodge and set up a board of jurisdiction was held January 13, 1959 with municipal representatives from the County of Stettler, Town of Stettler, Village of Botha, Village of Donalda, Village of Big Valley and MLA Galen C. Norris.
Planning and construction phases moved very quickly, mainly because the Stettler lodge was a prototype to a number of lodges being built in the province as the government planned to establish 50 lodges and residents moved into the new Heart Haven in fall 1960.
While the County of Stettler Foundation Charter in 1960 with these municipalities, the Summer Village of Rochon Sands and Summer Village of White Sands were added.
Over the decades, more space was added to accommodate the growing needs in the region.
Paragon Place seniors’ apartments on 50 Avenue (Veterans’ Way) was built in 1978 and converted to a seniors’ lodge in 2001 currently with 81 residents and potential for 138.
Willow Creek Lodge was built north of Heart Haven in 1993 with a capacity for 63 residents.
Governing structure of housing in Alberta changed on January 1, 1996 when the provincial government renamed the organization to County of Stettler Housing Authority, which managed not only the three seniors’ complexes, but all community and affordable housing with over 260 units that include Big Valley Villas for seniors, affordable housing in Stettler, Big, Valley, and Donalda, community housing and private landlord programs.
