Closing Knoll View disheartening

It is disheartening to hear that Knoll View will not be a resource for keeping our parents and grandparents nearby when they need assisted living. This HUD subsidized housing, sponsored by the Sparta Ecumenical council, has been losing money for the past few years and they will be closing the only facility like it in the area.Sparta residents may be unaware that the mission of Knoll Communities is “to focus on providing affordable housing and support to the Seniors we serve so that they may live in comfort and dignity.” They have done a wonderful job; and my neighbors and I were expecting that if needs arose, our parents would be able to have the assistance this community affords. The apartments behind Ocean State Job Lot provide independent living, while the small apartment building houses those who may need assistance with medications and meal preparation. It is not a nursing home. Residents live in their own studio apartments.

Isn’t there something our town officials can do to continue to keep Knoll View operating into the future as 20 percent of the American population are senior citizens? Not all of them have the money set aside to be financially independent past the age of 80. Not all of them can afford to pay for private assisted living.

Laura Parker

Sparta