From The Magazine

FeaturesFinanceFrom The Magazine

Lenders’ Patience Wears Thin as Pandemic Drags On

by Jeff Shaw

By Matt Valley Time is running short for operators of underperforming properties trying to shake off the negative impact of COVID-19 on occupancy and revenue, said Chuck Hastings, vice president of finance and business development for Juniper Communities. “In 2022, lenders are going to want to see us all getting back to pre-pandemic levels [of performance]. So, as operators the pressure is on.” Bloomfield, New Jersey-based Juniper operates 28 senior living communities in four states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas and Colorado. Hastings, who knows firsthand that lenders are growing increasingly …

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DevelopmentFrom The Magazine

A New Blueprint

by Jeff Shaw

Architects adjust their designs for incoming baby boomers, better infection control. By Jeff Shaw Most often, when it comes to planning for the future of the seniors housing industry, it’s considered from the angle of operations — the adjustments that must be made in programming, amenities and sales strategies for the next generation of residents. But programming and amenities don’t occur in a vacuum. The location, design and overall physical plant of a seniors housing community all affect what activities can take place that would appeal to a modern senior.  …

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From The MagazineOperations

Nonprofits Unite

by Jeff Shaw

The pandemic has proven that scale matters as the big not-for-profit providers get bigger and follow through on expansion plans. By Jane Adler Like their for-profit counterparts, nonprofit senior living providers face many of the same pandemic-related market dynamics. Consolidation is accelerating amid losses at troubled properties. The labor shortage is a big challenge. Communities are slowly starting to recover as occupancies inch upward. And inexpensive capital is still available, at least for the big providers whose expansion plans are moving forward.  “We’re growing,” says Terri Cunliffe, president and CEO …

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FinanceFrom The Magazine

HUD Lending Program Shows Its True Mettle

by Jeff Shaw

Deal volume of nearly $4 billion in FY 2021 helped fill void during pandemic. By Matt Valley Amid an extremely challenging operating environment for the seniors housing industry and a difficult underwriting situation for lenders due to the pandemic, one source of debt financing has stood tall. Lenders in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 232 healthcare mortgage insurance program used to finance nursing homes, assisted living and board and care facilities closed $3.94 billion in loans in fiscal year (FY) 2021, which ended Sept. 30. Total …

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From The MagazineOperationsPeople

Labor Pains

by Jeff Shaw

Senior living communities grapple with a severe worker shortage, responding with innovative approaches and programs. By Jane Adler “Help Wanted!” “Now Hiring!” The urgent signs posted everywhere from grocery stores to job boards reveal the depth of the labor shortage gripping the country. Workers are scarce. But senior living and care is being especially hard hit.  Long known for having a high turnover rate, the sector faces a number of new challenges. Workers in a healthcare-type setting are afraid of contracting COVID-19. The Delta variant of the virus has only …

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DevelopmentFrom The MagazinePeople

Worker, Supply Shortages Hit Builders

by Jeff Shaw

General contractors continue to innovate and complete projects despite COVID-caused headwinds. By Jeff Shaw We’re all familiar with the headlines by now: construction materials prices are at record highs, and nearly every industry has a shortage of workers, dealing a one-two punch to supply chains. General contractors may be on the front line of both problems as they deal directly with the rising materials costs while trying to build seniors housing communities with skeleton crews. According to Des Moines, Iowa-based general contractor Weitz, lumber prices have at least come back …

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From The MagazineTechnology

Senior Technology With Staying Power

by Jeff Shaw

Emerging out of the pandemic are some unique tech tools that have become part of everyday life at many senior living communities. By Eric Taub It’s often said that seniors and technology don’t mix. Whether it’s remembering how to use a television remote, send a text message on a smart phone or stream a Netflix video, the conventional wisdom has long been that the elderly frequently find those types of tasks to be a challenge. Seniors often forget the skills they learn, and which younger people master and take for …

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Active AdultFrom The MagazineInvestment

Why So Many Investors Are Chasing Active Adult

by Jeff Shaw

Favorable demographic trends and the sector’s strong performance during the pandemic have helped attract capital, says InterFace panel. By Matt Valley Aron Will refers to active adult as the “chameleon asset class” because it exhibits characteristics of both the multifamily and seniors housing sectors. “Quite frankly, there are more characteristics of seniors housing than people give it credit for,” said the vice chairman and co-head of National Senior Housing for CBRE. But from an investment sales standpoint, many buyers and sellers view the sector through a prism that is either …

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Affordable HousingDevelopmentFrom The Magazine

Not Your Grandpa’s Affordable Housing

by Jeff Shaw

Newer senior living developments feature environmental sustainability, amenities and services far beyond the residences of the past. By Jeff Shaw The development strategy for affordable seniors housing of the past seemed to have one overarching goal: Don’t spend too much. Generally, the apartments were simply typical affordable housing units with age restrictions for residents, built as cheaply as possible to counteract the lower rents. That’s not the case anymore. Affordable seniors housing today features a host of amenities and services on site, and a strong focus on environmental sustainability.  “Prior …

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From The MagazineInvestment

REITs Take Differing Paths

by Jeff Shaw

Strategies of the industry’s biggest publicly traded owners range from billion-dollar purchases to exiting seniors housing altogether. By Jeff Shaw Publicly traded seniors housing REITs have experienced a roller coaster ride over the past 18 months. Stock prices soared in early 2020, then crashed in March 2020 as the pandemic began. Occupancy rates hit record lows and are just now showing signs of recovery. It has been a volatile period of highs and lows. As an example, Welltower (NYSE: WELL), the largest owner of seniors housing in the United States, …

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