Kansas Statute 75-4265 established the Kansas
Intergovernmental Transfer Loan and Grant Fund
in 2000. The loan portion of this fund, the Partnership
Loan Program (PLP), supports the expansion of
housing alternatives and services for senior
Kansans. Funds for the grant portion of the fund
will be generated from interest income earned
on these loans.
As of June, 2005, PLP has granted loans totaling nearly $5 million, supporting the construction and long-term financing of various housing projects including assisted living, senior apartments, duplexes, and home plus for elderly Kansans.
The Kansas Department on Aging has awarded low-interest loans to two Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC’s) in South Central Kansas for the construction and permanent financing of Green Houses®. Green House® is a registered trademark that signifies a new way of providing long-term care for the elderly. Green Houses® are group homes for elders built to residential scale, providing the necessary clinical care found in nursing homes in a more social environment. Individual homes provide care for up to ten elders, each with his or her private bedroom and bath. Meals are prepared and served family-style in the home. Direct-care staff are permanently assigned and receive specialized training. Medical care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and therapists who visit the elderly in the home.
Asbury Park , situated on 30+ acres in Newton, plans to begin construction on its first Green House® during summer 2006. Mennonite Friendship Manor, located on a 170-acre campus in South Hutchinson, will also begin construction on its first phase of Green Houses® this summer. These Green House Projects® will be licensed to provide nursing home level of care. Both providers have agreed to close an equivalent number of presently existing Medicaid-certified nursing facility beds for the Green Houses® that will be financed in part by the PLP loans, as specified in the applications.
There are no funds available at this time to finance additional projects and it is unknown when more funding may become available. For more information regarding this program, please contact Patsy Samson at 800-432-3535 or by e-mail at Patsy.Samson@aging.ks.gov.