Partnership Brings New Community

PARTNERSHIP Brings New Community to Fruition

An important component of United Church Homes’ (UCH) strategic plan is growth: increasing senior living options as more baby boomers choose to cast off the responsibilities of home ownership and move to vibrant communities with lots of amenities. The middle market of seniors who don’t require specialized care or qualify for income-based affordable housing represents great opportunities for growth, as does providing management services to other communities.

UCH recently welcomed a new senior living community – The Villas at Sheriden in Carey, Ohio – to its portfolio of managed properties, increasing the number of partner communities to seven.

The Villas at Sheriden is truly a home-grown community. Vaughn Industries, the local company that developed and constructed the villas, is deeply invested in the small city of 3,600 residents. The owner, Tim Vaughn, strongly supports economic development and works to bring jobs to the small community located between Marion and Findlay, Ohio. In considering his own mother’s needs, Vaughn realized that there were limited senior living options in Carey. So, he set out to address it. As the project advanced, Vaughn invited UCH to tour the community and seeing alignment between the two organization’s missions and values, Vaughn Industries and UCH formed a new partnership.

“Everyone should do what they do best,” said John Barnes, who spearheads Vaughn Industries’ business development. “We’re a construction company – that’s what we do well. United Church Homes has great expertise in senior living, including managing communities – that’s what they do well. It’s a perfect fit.”

The new villas feature beautiful interiors and layouts. Each of the 16 buildings includes two villas, each with its own two-car attached garage with no step entry into the unit. Two floor plan options are available: a one-bedroom villa and a two-bedroom, two-bathroom model. Each unit has an impressive list of features: high ceilings, a patio which provides lots of natural light, window coverings, luxury vinyl plank floors, large closets, walk-in showers, wheelchair access, three-foot-wide doorways, stainless steel appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and trash compacter), air conditioning and programmable thermostats. The units are also TV/internet ready and have washer and dryer hookups.

The community offers excellent amenities including a clubhouse with a lovely room in which to connect with other residents or to reserve for residents’ private use. A well-equipped fitness center and a community garden are convenient to the villas, which are also pet friendly. “Each unit feels more like a home than an apartment,” Barnes said. “As seniors downsize they generally want to bring some of their furniture with them and the size of the units allows for that. At Vaughn Industries, we only know one way to build and that’s quality. You’ll find it throughout the community.”

The area surrounding the villas features a new professional building which is quickly attracting tenants. There’s also a touchless car wash nearby. The first open house in November drew more than 70 visitors. “UCH is well known in Wyandot County for providing quality senior services, which makes this partnership a winwin” said Jean Smith, UCH partnership lead.

The perfect alignment between the plan developed by Vaughn Industries and UCH’s vision for abundant senior living has made The Villas at Sheriden a real success. Feedback from new residents has been very positive – they love their new community.

UCH is committed to serving every resident’s needs, including the very first senior to call the villas home: Tim Vaughn’s mother!