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Friday, March 9, 2001
Apartment complex provides a safe harbor
Henry Harbour offers independent, supportive living for those with mobility impairments
By Venessa Santos-Garza
Caller-Times
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| George Gongora/Caller-Times |
| Karen E. Henry shows space for wheelchairs under stoves and lowered ovens, some of the features in the Henry Harbour apartments. |
Fernando Acosta cleaned his apartment in hopes that he might get the chance to show off his new home.
It's Acosta's first. And on Thursday he proudly showed guests his one-bedroom apartment at Henry Harbour, an apartment community for people with mobility impairments or traumatic brain injuries, during the center's grand opening.
"I have never lived on my own before," said Acosta, a 39-year-old Texas A&M-Corpus Christi student. "It was kind of scary at first. It is not the same as home but I really like it."
The Karen E. Henry Foundation and Accessible Space Inc. founded Henry Harbour to provide independent and supportive living for adults with mobility impairments at 2421 Cimarron Boulevard. The community also is funded in part by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Dr. Jack Henry, chairman of the foundation, and Janet K. Henry, trustee, were instrumental in forming the foundation, which was named after their daughter, Karen E. Henry, who suffered a head injury in an car accident.
There are eight residents living at Henry Harbour, with eight more moving in next week. The community can accept up to 24 applicants and is expected to expand soon.
To qualify as a resident a person must have a mobility impairment, meet income guidelines set by HUD and pass a rental history and criminal background check, said Debbie Syverson, who is in charge of screening potential residents. Tenants must sign a one-year lease.
Property manager Sandra Veltman, who is a certified counselor, plans to host a resident support group for tenants like Acosta who have never lived on their own.
"It is really kind of scary for some of them," she said. "We are going to try and spend some time talking about that."
The one- or two-bedroom units are equipped with low wheelchair accessible stoves, ovens and sinks. Residents also are able to wheel into the shower if necessary. Bars in the closets are placed at waist level.
Acosta, who must walk with the aid of a cane, said that steps or stairs terrify him because it is difficult for him to move around.
"Now that I am getting older it is hard for me to get up if I fall. I avoid stairs as much as I can," he said. "I don't have to worry about that here."
Acosta said living at Henry Harbour has made everyday occurrences like going to school or shopping much easier.
"My mom and my sister used to drive me back and forth from Taft for class. It was just too much," he said. "Now I don't have to worry about them being on the road in the rain or the fog. I can get back and forth on my own. I can go to the mall when I want too."
Staff writer Venessa Santos-Garza can be reached at 886-3752 or by e-mail at santosv@caller.com.
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a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.
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