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Group home for ME/CFS

Little Bluestem

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
jester said:
I used to be a very active craftsman/builder and could do pretty much everything required to maintain/repair/improve a house, but in present circumstances I would have to hire a handyman for groundskeeping & maintenance.
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The farther one gets from the big cities, the less expensive the real estate, but for people who need medical care, distance from big cities can be a problem, so obviously there's a tradeoff to be made.
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Maybe you would have renters who could do groundskeeping & maintenance as part of their rent.

Many of us cannot drive any distance or at all. Good public transportation could make a smaller city doable.
 
maddietod

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,860
The convent idea brought to mind a small bed and breakfast. That might work. I'm trying to think of buildings that have individual bathrooms.

In my imagination, this works best with a very small group. I'm picturing dividing up the kitchen with other people with specific dietary needs.
 
J

jester

Messages
12
For example, here's a 6-unit apartment building for sale in Bridgton, Maine, right near where I used to go to summer camp. Each unit has its own bathroom, and could probably be rented out for $500/mo.

Bridgton is a nice little town near two big lakes, but there's not a lot going on, and not much in the way of medical support, so it might not be suitable for people who need a lot of medical help. On the other hand, real estate and rents are affordable, which is why this 6- unit building is listed at $159,000!

http://www.realtor.com/realestatean...-St_Bridgton_ME_04009_M41268-71542?source=web

edit: Bridgton Hospital is just down the road....
 
T

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
jester said:
CJB, that's a good idea about including at least one younger person (e.g. student) who could help out with caretaking, house chores, etc.
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You could offer a student free board for so many hours of home help per week. (doing dishes, mowing, getting the shopping if anyone was too sick to shop themselves etc).
 
J

jester

Messages
12
Madie, that's a beautiful house!

The downside of it is that the cost of the mortgage on $200k, plus the $8k per year taxes, might make rent too expensive for me and others too afford. I would like to try to keep rent no more than $500 per person.

Another consideration is people who have Section 8 vouchers for housing. My understanding of Section 8 vouchers is that they cannot be used to rent a room in a house, they can be used only to rent a self-contained apartment. So a house that has already been entirely subdivided into self-contained apartments would be preferable for Section 8 folks.

And lastly, older houses in the VT/NH/ME area are EXTREMELY expensive to heat in winter. They tend to be drafty, with old loose windows, and little or no insulation in walls and ceilings, and it can easily cost $500-$1000 per month for heating oil in winter months.
 
maddietod

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,860
I should have said that this was just an example.....I'm not ready to buy a place yet. I was just showing my ideas about how to search (hospital, muti-family, airport, distance from big cities, colleges).

Good point about heat. Blowing insulation into walls isn't too expensive.

The places I saw that featured apartments sounded like they were already full of renters. I guess from a realtor's POV, fully rented is a + selling point.

I agree that it would be helpful to find a local doctor who is willing to work with PWCFS; I very much doubt that we would luck into an expert. I expect I would keep going to Florida once a year for my treatment plan.
 
Hope123

Hope123

Senior Member
Messages
1,266
Not that I plan on doing something like this anytime since I have family........but I would suggest for those in the US to consider the West coast. I've lived on and visited both coasts and, OK I'm somewhat prejudiced about it, but we don't have the same issues with heat, cold, tornadoes, hurricaines, etc. The main risk here are earthquakes but significant ones are separated by years - decades. Generally, I find people are fairly open-minded, even in some rural areas, and the availability of things like organic produce, clean water, fresh air, natural beauty, etc. are easily found.

Places like San Fran, LA, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, etc. may seem expensive but once you go out of the city a bit, the property values can be lower, especially with the collapse of the housing market.
 
MEG

MEG

Senior Member
Messages
242
Location
Asheville, NC
@ Neilk and Maddie..I WAY LOVE VERMONT!!!! AND I LOVE IT SOME MORE!

Maybe because I lived there for 30 years.

Why did I leave? I got ME/CFS! The cold, cold winters, and rain and always high humidity forced me to move. So here I am in the Smokey Mountains of NC...it is so like Vermont without the bad weather.

I loved the VT winters bringing up my family because we ski'd every day all winter, and the NE lakes were perfect for all summer canoeing, kayaking, swimming, hiking and more.

I got amazing medical treatment at Dartmouth, and you are really just a few hours from Boston.

Property taxes are high...as in my farmhouse was $500/month in taxes, food is expensive, but boy is it a beautiful state. My soul resides in VT. It always will.

But if anyone ever started a group home in VT I would go back in a heartbeat...ie: someone else to shovel snow.
 
V

Valentijn

Senior Member
Messages
15,786
jester said:
Another consideration is people who have Section 8 vouchers for housing. My understanding of Section 8 vouchers is that they cannot be used to rent a room in a house, they can be used only to rent a self-contained apartment. So a house that has already been entirely subdivided into self-contained apartments would be preferable for Section 8 folks.
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Based on what I've read, that depends on the local Public Housing Authority, though in the case of disabled people it sounds like it's mandatory to allow it. www.allenshea.com/CIRCL/documents/CAsSec8Prgm.pdf

Section 8 vouchers can also be used to pay a mortgage.
 
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