The building isn’t open yet. The wait list already has 100 names on it.
Christian Health’s affordable housing development for veterans 65 and older in Pompton Plains is on track to open in September or October — and the demand was apparent long before the first unit was finished.
There are 65 units. Steve Dumke, CEO of Christian Health, said 100 people have already signed up.
“We opened up the wait list,” he said.
The project is a partnership between Christian Health and the township. Christian Health is managing the facility, which has been under construction for about a year. The target opening is this fall.
The population it serves — veterans 65 and older — sits at the intersection of two of the most pressing care challenges in New Jersey: the shortage of affordable senior housing and the ongoing need for services tailored to the specific physical and mental health needs of older veterans.
Christian Health, which serves more than 1,000 people daily across North Jersey through a combination of behavioral health, senior services and affordable housing, has been expanding its housing portfolio as a deliberate extension of its care mission.
The Pompton Plains development is part of that broader strategy — and one of the most concrete examples of the demand it is trying to meet.
And because the facility is geared toward veterans, it is especially important to Dumke and Christian Health.
“They deserve it,” he said.
