Kingston Hill boarding home closing in May

CEDAR RAPIDS - A boarding home for seniors that has been serving the community with low-cost housing for more than 100 years will shut its doors for good in May because the business model can no longer sustain itself, officials with the agency said on Monday.

Kingston Hill, 202 12th St. NW, which is a property of Aging Services, is closing on May 27. Over the next several weeks, staff will help find new homes for the 23 current residents, said Kathy Horan, vice president of Aging Services.

'This is what our social workers do: Find the services that are needed,” Horan said. 'I am confident we will be able to find new homes.”

The board of directors for Aging Services made the announcement of the closure in a news release Monday.

'The board truly regrets having to close Kingston Hill,” Dan Mineck, former Kingston Hill and current Aging Services board member, said in the statement. 'Unfortunately, we just can't keep up with the increasing costs of maintaining the home and caring for the residents.”

The directors and staff had been working for three years to shore up the finances and find a different model but were unable to do so, prompting the decision to close, Horan said.

With 23 residents, the facility is at capacity, Horan said. However, fees are on a sliding scale, and Aging Services subsidizes costs for many residents, she said.

The business model had become unsustainable, Horan said. Accommodations cost residents virtually the same as other retirement communities, which are increasing in number, Horan said, but they can't match the amenities: 24-hour staff, meals and laundry services. It is not a nursing home, Horan said.

Aging Services, which is an affiliate of AbbeHealth, a non-profit for aging and mental health services, transferred $3.15 million to Kingston Hill to cover costs in 2013, according to the most recent federal non-profit filing, the 2014 form 990.

While Aging Services received $1.7 million from Medicaid in that filing period, the timing of the Kingston Hill closure is not connected to the transition of Medicaid to Iowa's managed care system on April 1, which has caused concern among health care providers,Horan said.

Liz Mathis, a Democratic state senator from Robins and communications director at Four Oaks, a social services agency, said the closure is not a surprise, and she anticipates a smooth transition for residents.

'It's been going on for quite a long time and for them, they know enough providers out there, I have no doubt Aging Services and Abbe will find places for all of these residents,” Mathis said.

Mathis said she believes smaller providers will find challenges after the April 1 transition, and many will look to merge to help cover costs.

Kingston Hill has 10 employees, including resident assistants, administrators and social workers, who will have the opportunity to take different positions, if they wish, for Aging Services, Horan said.

It's not yet clear what will become of the The Kingston Hill house, a handsome circa-1899 structure of red brick, ample windows and white balconies. The property is assessed at $1.2 million, and is owned by Aging Services.

Horan said deciding what to do with the property is the third priority after the residents and staff.

Kingston Hill has a long history in Cedar Rapids.

According to the Aging Services website, the home began in 1887 when a widow asked her neighbor if she could live with them for $1 per week. Other older women heard the news and soon began asking for a similar arrangement.

The group moved from house to house on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids for about 10 years until they were able to build the present home thanks to a fundraising effort.

The official name was 'The Home for Aged Women” but it was affectionally referred to locally as the 'The Old Ladies Home.”

It wasn't until 2003 that men were admitted to the house. In 2006, the home underwent a major renovation after a fundraiser.