Harris-Askins House a resource for fixed-income seniors

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Ask a random Westerville resident to point you to the Harris-Askins House, and you might get no more than a confused look.

But ask someone in the know, and you’re likely to get directions accompanied by a liberal dose of effusive praise.

“I think we are a little gem that is not really well-known here in Westerville,” says Cathy Panzica, a 12-year resident of the house. “It is so well done and a nice home to have.”

The Harris-Askins House is a 60-unit senior independent living apartment located at 200 S. State St., nestled among the trees behind a physician’s office and a stone’s throw from a walking trail. Operated by the Rotary Club of Westerville, the facility was developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The visionary behind Harris-Askins House is John Oleyar, a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Westerville, says fellow Rotarian Jim Biven.

“John brought the idea to have a senior housing facility in Westerville for those living on limited incomes to the Rotary board in 1981,” Biven says. “We needed $10,000 to start, but had no money and no guarantee of ongoing funding, so it was dropped.”

Two years later, though, the club got together the funds, and the proposal was re-submitted and approved. Working with HUD, an architect familiar with HUD projects, a builder and various city officials – including Westerville City Council and the city manager – the club quickly got the $2.2 million project underway. It was ready for occupancy by summer 1985.

Oleyar, a former member of the North Columbus Jaycees, was inspired by two of that club’s similar senior living facilities: the Jaycee Arms in downtown Columbus and Jaycee Village in north Columbus, near Beechcroft High School.

“I was the treasurer and understood about subsidized rents, and saw that they could be very low … and that some of the residents could no longer earn income,” Oleyar says. “If not for this type of housing, where could they go to get a decent place to live? I am grateful that the Rotary could help build something in Westerville to give seniors with lower incomes a good place to live.”

Biven was actively involved with the planning team for Harris-Askins House, and says having an architect and real estate agent familiar with working with a federal agency made the project go smoother. One of the first matters to address after purchasing the property was that the facility had to be set up under and owned by a nonprofit – which the Rotary Club of Westerville was not.

“We set up the nonprofit, which was named Westerville Rotary Elderly Housing, Inc.,” says Biven.

The rest, as they say, is history, as the Harris-Askins House has been popular from the start – so popular, in fact, that there is a waiting list for new tenants, with four to 10 people on it at any given time.

Originally named Harris House in honor of Paul Harris, who started the first Rotary Club in 1905 in Chicago, the name was changed in 1994 after the death of Paul Askins, another fellow Rotarian who, Biven says, was a major decision-maker during the development of the facility.

The independent living facility has retained its same footprint since 1985, though there have been enhancements. A back patio was converted into an enclosed sunroom, a gazebo was added, and the roof and each unit’s heating and air conditioning units were replaced, along with structural repairs and maintenance as needed.

There are 60 units within the three-story house: 15 efficiency suites and 45 one-bedroom units. Six of those units are handicapped-accessible, and there is an elevator as well. Each unit has standard kitchen appliances and an emergency pull cord that connects to the on-site manager 24/7.

A management couple lives on-site to oversee the facility, which includes common areas, maintenance and repairs of the units and facility, response to on-site emergencies, and administrative responsibilities such as tenant income calculations and leases, budgets and expenses, and HUD recertification.

Tenants must be 62 years of age or older, and below 50 percent of median income as established annually by HUD. Rent is based on 30 percent of the tenant’s gross adjusted income and, for those who are eligible, subsidies through Section 8 Rental Assistance.

For instance, an individual with an adjusted monthly income of $800 would pay $240 a month, says Don Beebout, vice president of Showe Management Company. Showe manages the Harris-Askins House, as well as other HUD properties in Ohio.

Individuals with zero income could conceivably pay as little as $25 a month, Beebout says, with HUD’s Housing Assistance Payment program covering the remaining amounts. Applicants are required to provide references as well, to help assure they will be good tenants. 

Applicants come from central Ohio and beyond – even other states. There is no referral system, though, as that would be a violation of housing law, which mandates that anyone who is qualified can apply, Beebout says. Each applicant signs a one-year lease, which he or she can renew annually or month-to-month starting the second year.

Panzica is the second-longest tenured tenant residing at the house and still loves her home, she says.

“It is tucked away in a setting with shade trees all around, lots of green grass and flowers,” she says. “They allow pets, and I like that I can have my schnoodle, Izzy, because she gets me out and walking.”

Learn more about the house at www.westervillerotary.com.

Kathy L. Woodard is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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