Why a Harvest House?

			In 1978, Sister Jeanne A. Brendel, O.P., Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, was Director of an Outreach Program in Nassau County. Case after case demonstrated the acute needs of Senior Citizens. Case after case verified the prevalence of a critical reality - the lack of options in housing for elderly. As people grew older, oftentimes they were no longer able to physically and financially care for their homes. The average waiting time for County Senior Citizen apartments was eight to ten years. For many, living alone was not only lonely, but the lack of socialization frequently resulted in isolation and deterioration. The solution needed an innovative and creative approach - an approach that would provide the continuity of a family environment, an alternative to the larger institutional models. Aware of the need, convinced of the alternative, shocked at situations, it was time to begin a new shared-housing alternative - a family model.


		Thus, the dream for a new alternative for seniors, the creation of a "home away from home" was born.