What’s New
Stadium Place Highlights
Community Life
Opportunities for Volunteers and Donors
For Rent: Apartments and Leasing
What’s New at Stadium Place?
BIG SMILING THANKS!
We are very grateful to the team of volunteers who provided a generous service on Saturday, March 12th: a day of free dental care. In its second year, this “Dental Day” served 40 people, including residents and clients of GEDCO programs. These volunteers offered the opportunity for people with low incomes to receive care that they usually cannot afford, serving a critical health care need in our community. They even included complimentary transportation to the Towson dental office of Shires & Schmidt. Thanks go to:
Dentists: Dr. Keith Schmidt, Dr. John Savukinas, Dr. Ashley Izadi, Dr. Roham Rafat
Dental Assistants: Debbie Marshall, Liz Costello, Debbie Schmidt, Cora Torres, Donna Cepedes, Jane Baumer, Joyce Vervin
Hygienists: Renee Fockler, Heather Lakey
Transportation: Towsontowne Rotary Club
Admin Support: Lana Connors, Kathy Wright
Stadium Place Highlights
Voted Best Development Project by the Baltimore City Paper, Stadium Place is a national exemplar of housing for low-income senior citizens with supportive services. Since Baltimore City awarded us the opportunity to develop the former Memorial Stadium site in 1999, our vision for Stadium Place has been to create an affordable retirement community for Baltimore’s low-income seniors, while also offering intergenerational opportunities for the surrounding community.
As the master developer of Stadium Place, GEDCO has invested approximately $50 million in this unique redevelopment project to date, through support from various public and private partners and investors including the State of Maryland, Baltimore City, Enterprise Homes, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Stadium Place will serve more than 500 residents when fully completed. Apartment buildings provide over 360 older adults (62+) their own active-living apartments for rent, along with an array of supportive services. Elders have a safe and comfortable place to call home, where they are provided with numerous opportunities to participate in community life. The campus also includes a full service Y of Central Maryland, a community built playground, and ThanksGiving Place (a small meditative park with a labyrinth). Located near the Y and the 33rd Street entrance to Stadium Place, ThanksGiving Place reflects the faith-based partnerships that sponsor Stadium Place. 
GEDCO’s future development plans include The Green House® Residences at Stadium Place (with residential long-term care), the Village Center (a planned retail and commercial space), and market-rate housing as well. The Green House® Residences at Stadium Place will bring an innovative model of residential long-term nursing care to the campus for 49 frail older adults, where they can continue to live and thrive.
Residents continue to live meaningful and engaged lives with numerous opportunities for involvement at Stadium Place and in the surrounding community. GEDCO has developed a series of community-based services at Stadium Place. The GEDCO volunteer coordinator and senior services team maintain partnershipswith numerous government and not-for-profit organizations to provide links to local neighborhoods and various volunteer opportunities. There are four active resident councils, and the residents are also helping each other through the Neighbor Helping Neighbor Program.
Stadium Place Vision
The mission of Stadium Place is to maximize the physical, social, and spiritual potential of individuals through holistic continuum of support services and senior housing.
The vision of Stadium Place is to provide leadership in senior care options to persons of varying economic circumstances in a continuum that integrates seniors into the life of the community
Stadium Place will ensure that Baltimore’s seniors, regardless of their incomes, will have access to the highest quality housing with supportive services
The guiding principles of Stadium Place are to:
- Provide housing with services;
- Linked to surrounding communities;
- Maintain Intergenerational ties; and
- Build a diverse community.
Since Baltimore City awarded us the opportunity to develop the former Memorial Stadium site in 1999, our vision for Stadium Place has been to create an affordable retirement community for low-income senior citizens, while also offering intergenerational opportunities for the surrounding community. The Rev. John Sharp, founder and first president of GEDCO, received the Governor’s Award for Leadership in Aging – Outstanding Service Contribution for his visionary and effective leadership in meeting the needs of low-income older adults, including his work with other faith-based and community leaders to establish GEDCO and Stadium Place.
Four Apartment Buildings for Rent
Stadium Place features four high-rise apartment buildings for more than 350 low and moderate-income adults, aged 62 and older:
- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Court Apartments,
- Venable Apartments II,
- Ednor Apartments I, and
- Ednor Apartments II
The first building opened May, 2004, and the 4th apartment building was completed in September, 2008.
Containing a mix of one- and two-bedroom units, the apartments allow residents to maintain their active lifestyle, while having access to supportive services that help them comfortably grow older. Over half of the residents have income below $15,000. Each building has a large community room, offering residents the opportunity to socialize with each other. In addition, several apartment buildings have unique amenities, like the mini-movie theater at Venable II, a convenience store, and a beauty salon at Ednor Apartments. Each building also has a computer lab for resident use.
Property management for all GEDCO housing properties is provided by Habitat America. They are currently accepting applications for the newest building on campus, Ednor Apartments II. Applications are being accepted for the other rental apartment buildings on campus to maintain an active waiting list. Please contact Habitat America at 410-243-0180 for more information.
Community Life
GEDCO has developed a series of community-based services at Stadium Place. Residents participate in the Eating Together Program, a daily lunch program at the Ednor Apartments I which is coordinated by the Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education (CARE.) CARE also provides home health aides as part of the Senior Care program. A weekly shopping shuttle and monthly trips are provided through Action in Maturity. Residents also participate in weekly line dancing provided by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks and exercise programs at the Stadium Place Y (where discounted memberships are available). Residents coordinate various programs and events through their own resident councils, including birthday and holiday parties, trips, game nights, bingo, craft club, etc.
Residents move to Stadium Place from throughout the Baltimore area. If you are interested in applying for an apartment at Stadium Place, please contact Habitat America at 410-243-0180.
Volunteers and Partnerships
There are numerous opportunities for organizations and individuals to volunteer and participate in campus life. GEDCO coordinates various intergenerational programs with the Friends School, Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, and the Waverly Afterschool Program, operated by the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks. In addition, the service coordinators develop educational and wellness programs with local hospitals, universities, and other experts in the aging community, including:
- the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
- Erickson School of Management, Aging and Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- St. Joseph’s Medical Center
Volunteer groups have provided bingo parties, computer training, housekeeping assistance, etc. Contact Rosemary Thompson if you have a group that is interested in volunteering at Stadium Place.
GEDCO Senior Services Team
Members of GEDCO’s senior services team provide service coordination for residents of Stadium Place. The team works with the residents of Stadium Place to build a safe and caring community, and we offer supportive services that meet the needs of our residents as they age in the community. Service coordinators offer assessments, orientation, direct assistance with social service concerns, and on-going linkages to community services for residents. We work with the Resident Councils at Stadium Place to ensure that services meet the needs of residents, to help implement programming, and to solicit input regarding desired workshops and activities. We also encourage the self-governance of residents and their participation in volunteer and work activities. Residents or family members who need assistance should contact Alda James, the service coordination administrator, at 410-467-2572). Other contact numbers for the members of the Senior Services team are listed under Program Staff.
The Neighbor Helping Neighbor Program is a time bank model of service exchange, where members provide a wide spectrum of support services and activities for other members. The program will support the participants in living independently, as well as continuing to lead meaningful and engaged lives. As individuals age, they are finding it more and more difficult to execute their activities of daily living without some assistance. Neighbor Helping Neighbor will help residents that need assistance to obtain it without financial hardship. The goal of the program is to increase participants’ quality of life and sense of independence by mobilizing social capital and participants’ skills and talents. The program has been supported through a grant from the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Charitable Foundation, and technical assistance is being provided by Partners In Care. The program has begun a pilot phase at Stadium Place with a resident steering committee, and it will expand to other GEDCO communities in the future.
Members of Neighbor Helping Neighbor have assisted with household chores, errands, community food drives, and one member started a crafts club at Stadium Place.
Community Based Services at Stadium Place
1. Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education, C.A.R.E. offers:
a. Homemaker and personal care services up to three times weekly for residents who need assistance with activities of daily living.
b. Shelf-stable foods for residents who are unable to get out due to inclement weather.
c. Medical supplies such as Ensure, adult diapers etc.
2. Baltimore City Fire Department - Fire prevention and disaster preparedness workshops are offered annually.
3. Baltimore City Police Department - Provides senior safety/security seminars semi-annually and free identification bracelets.
4. Baltimore City’s Eating Together Program - Nutritious lunch served daily at no cost. Nutrition Workshops are offered quarterly
5. Computer Lab - Offering updated technology resources and tutors/classes as needed, the computer lab at Weinberg Court is open to all campus residents. A smaller number of computers are also available in each apartment building.
6. Convenience Store - Serving social and practical purposes, the convenience store located in Weinberg Court Apartments gives residents an alternative to a trip to a store when they need small items. This store maintains reasonable prices and a selection based upon resident request; it is open to all campus residents.
7. Hair Salon - Both a licensed hairdresser and barber are available in the salon in the Ednor I Apartments, providing service at low rates for residents.
8. Podiatry Management Services - A Doctor of Podiatry is on campus at least monthly to provide services to residents in their apartments.
9. Through a partnership with Action In Maturity (AIM), GEDCO provides weekly transportation to grocery stores and other shopping. AIM also offers monthly trips to resident-selected locations and activities.