Five years after the death of her husband in 1993, Langley resident Marge Rosenthal knew it was time to start looking for a new place to live.
Rosenthal and her husband, Albert, had lived near Baby Island, Langley, since 1976, but taking care of the family home and property had become too much of a burden both physically and financially for Rosenthal alone.
“You just can’t handle your own places.” she said.
With Rosenthal’s grown children living off the island, she did not want to force them into a situation where they would have to decide for her when and where she should move. She wanted to remain on South Whidbey, and the government-subsidized Brookhaven apartments in Langley were her only chance to do so. She said the options of buying a condominium or renting a large apartment were too expensive for her fixed income of approximately $17,000 a year. Like all the other Brookhaven residents, Rosenthal pays 30 percent of her total income — about $350 a month — to live in her apartment.
“I wanted to make the choice myself to move here,” she said.
Rosenthal, now 79, said she is thankful she moved before a physical limitation threatened her choices. She signed onto the Brookhaven waiting list in 1998, but had to wait almost four years before moving in October 2002.
“I signed up long before I knew I needed to move,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal’s situation is not unique, according to Steve Gulliford, executive director of the Island County Housing Authority. The agency owns and manages 110 federally subsidized apartments on Whidbey Island that are funded by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Brookhaven was built in 1969 for low-income senior citizens 62 or older and people with disabilities. It can take six months to three years before a resident is placed in one of the four apartment complexes on Whidbey Island built specifically for the disabled and low-income seniors.
“They’re relying on a pretty small income and it’s pretty consistent,” Gulliford said of the current tenants. “You don’t get anymore spaces until someone moves out.”
Because of Brookhaven’s location, it is especially appealing to Rosenthal and others who wish to live in Langley, a city in which the grocery store, banks, movie theater, drug store and other services are within walking distance.
‘Low income’ is a numbers game
The county housing authority owns and manages the Dean Manor Apartments in Coupeville, and Oak Manor Apartments and Golden Oaks Apartments in Oak Harbor. Rent at these apartments is charged in the same manner as at Brookhaven, and residents must also be at least 62 years of age or have a disability or handicap.
Other low-income housing complexes on Whidbey Island, such as the Glenhaven or Saratoga Terrace apartments in Langley, are operated differently. The Glenhaven apartments — which are also owned by the Island County Housing Authority — are for people 55 and older, and charge a moderate rent instead of the percentage-based system at Brookhaven. Saratoga Terrace is privately owned and managed, but has a low rents starting around $415 a month.
With the percentage-based rent at the housing authority’s apartments comes some limits. Gulliford noted that the maximum gross annual income allowed by the Island County Housing Authority is $39,550 for one person and $45,200 for two people.
The average income for the public housing is well below the maximum, according to Gulliford. A typical resident averages about $9,000 a year in income, and pays about $150 a month in rent.
Living there
Recently, Rosenthal and fellow Brookhaven resident Marilyn Gobel discussed living in Brookhaven. Like most of the community’s 41 residents, they each live alone in their 850 square-foot apartments. Only one apartment in the entire complex is set up to accommodate a couple, Gobel said.
Gobel has lived in Brookhaven for 10 years, and both she and Rosenthal agree there is a greater need — especially in Langley — for affordable housing on South Whidbey.
“It means all the world to me,” Rosenthal said about the proximity to Langley’s resources. “The advantages of the location are really the best.”
The special amenities offered at a place such as Brookhaven are exactly what seniors are looking for, said Gobel and Rosenthal. They do not have the responsibility and maintenance that comes with owning a house; group meals are available at Brookhaven’s community center; and activities gives them a connection to other residents and provides them with a sense of security.
“This is where I call home,” Rosenthal said.
As of this week, there are 57 people waiting to get into the Brookhaven apartments. Within the last few months, Brookhaven has been able to accommodate five new residents, but this is unusual. Gulliford said that in some years, Brookhaven does not have room for five new people during 12-month period.
“Our turnover is not that great,” he said.
Approximately 45 people are on the waiting list for the Dean Manor Apartments in Coupeville, and 51 are on the list for either of the Oak Harbor apartments.
— This Is Where I Call Home will highlight a number of individuals and families over the next few weeks who live in affordable housing in Island County. The next installment in this series will appear in the April 17 South Whidbey Record.
