Springvale Terrace & Home First® Residences Resident Relocation Process

2024 was a year of big changes for Seabury. Seabury made the tough decision to close and redevelop Springvale Terrace, and transition the Home First Residences community of Pleasant Hill from a Community Residential Facility (CRF) to a shared independent living home like the other two Home First communities.

These were not decisions made lightly or quickly. Both communities had close relationships between long-term residents, staff, and volunteers who viewed each other as a second family. During the pandemic, staff members at Pleasant Hill even moved in when two residents tested positive for COVID, making sure they continued to receive care while socially isolating. But while each community had rich relationships, they both provided challenging, financially unsustainable dilemmas around staffing and infrastructure.

When Seabury’s Board of Governors voted on these transitions, it was established at the outset that the well-being of staff and residents would be prioritized. Closing Springvale Terrace and transitioning Pleasant Hill to independent living would mean relocating residents to new communities and laying off staff. While this was a painful and unavoidable consequence, Seabury’s Board and CEO worked out rules to ensure the process would be as equitable and supportive of people as possible.

The first rule was complete transparency. When it was decided to close Springvale Terrace, Dawn Quattlebaum, Seabury’s CEO, met with staff first to share the news and answer questions. Shortly after, she met with residents and their families to explain the process and personally answer any questions they had. She made sure that Springvale Terrace staff were there as well to offer support to the residents as they heard the news. This was a full year before the final resident moved out of Springvale.

Similarly, when the decision was made to change the housing model at Pleasant Hill, after consultation with DACL and the Dept of Health & Human Services, Seabury notified the Home First Advisory Council first, then staff and contractors, and then residents and their families. On the same day, Seabury provided notifications to DC’s Department of Aging and Community Living, the Mayor’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office, and the Department of Health. Every stakeholder in the program was notified and made sure they understood the process happening at Home First.

The second rule was complete support for staff. The decision was made to keep as much staff employed at Springvale and Pleasant Hill as possible for as long as possible - when layoffs would have to be made, they would be made methodically and thoughtfully. Some of these staff members had been a part of their communities for 20 years. As a testament to their commitment to their communities, almost all staff at Springvale and Pleasant Hill stayed through the transitions as long as they could, making sure the residents they cared for were supported through a major upheaval in their lives. 

 “SVT staff stayed until they were laid off, almost 80%,” said Marcy Hunter, Springvale Terrace’s Executive Director. “They knew they were not going to have a job at some point coming up, but they mostly all chose to stay to support residents.”

To make sure staff at Springvale were taken care of, they were promised that if they stayed until they were laid off they would be given severance. And as much as possible, staff would be notified before their layoff, up to 30 days in advance. This gave staff a long lead time for the next stage of their careers, so they could focus on residents at Springvale with their whole attention.

The third rule was a complete commitment to walk beside residents as they transitioned to new communities. At both Springvale and Home First, staff were heavily involved in researching and vetting new communities for residents. At Home First, the social service coordinator worked with social workers and caregivers to determine what type of assistance or community they would qualify for. They had extensive relocation conversations with families, and organized tours of potential communities with both the residents and family members. 

A company called HousingToHome was brought in to partner with Springvale Terrace residents moving to new communities. As much as possible, residents would have a personal assistant as they explored their housing options, and would not have to pack up or unbox anything as they moved to new communities. 

Seabury staff went above and beyond in this process. “The staff was very committed and cared for the residents at Home First as their own family.” said Le’Anetta Obasanjo, Ward 5 & 6 Lead Agency Director at Seabury. “They always went the extra mile, even interviewing owners of potential communities to ensure that the resident would be a good fit for the potential placement: ‘What would be a good environment for our residents,’ and ’What are some of the supportive services you provide to your residents?’ Questions like that.” 

At Springvale Terrace, each resident enjoyed a full level of service until the day they moved out. Even when there was only one resident, staff still organized activities, cooked meals, and visited multiple times a day to make sure she was cared for and not lonely. 

“The commitment that Dawn, and Seabury, and the Board of Directors had to ensure that we could keep providing these services, and not closing our doors until the last resident was placed in a home that THEY wanted to go to, is incredible. It was a process, not a forced move, and Seabury supported staff to see it through to the end.” said Marcy Hunter.

The fourth principle Seabury stood by through these transitions was creating space to say goodbye. Keeping staff and residents together and providing a long transition period was important, but Seabury also used its own resources to organize farewell events. At Springvale Terrace, this took the form of a special dinner to recognize the legacy and community that had been built there, where all staff, residents, and family members were invited to attend. At Home First, staff used a special collection of funds from other Seabury employees to hold a farewell dinner of the residents’ favorite food, and made personalized care packages that residents could take with them to their new communities.

A fifth principle was to keep communities intact as much as possible. With the benefit of advance notice and planning, Seabury staff were able to help residents move into the same communities. One couple from Home First ended up in rooms across the hall from each other at a nursing home, and two others were able to be roommates at the assisted living community they moved to.

For residents at Springvale Terrace, almost all Congregate Housing members were able to move to a similar program in a different Silver Spring community. Many of the independent living residents were able to move to Friendship Terrace, another Seabury community. In some cases, this meant that residents were able to move from a studio apartment to a one-bedroom, giving them a lot more space to live!

It didn’t have to be this way. While Springvale Terrace was closing, another community in Silver Spring was closing as well. While Seabury took months to work with residents as they moved to a new community of their choosing, this other community only gave their residents a 30 day eviction notice, all they were legally required to give.

While closing communities is a painful process, Seabury would like to recognize all the staff at Home First and Springvale Terrace that went above and beyond to serve their residents with grace, compassion, and love through a tough transition. Their service is a testament to their character, as well as the rich bonds they formed together. To this day, many of the residents and staff still keep in touch and visit each other. While communities change, family stays forever.

Seabury is proud to partner with Enterprise Community Development to redevelop Springvale Terrace from a 146 unit property to a 236 unit independent living community, increasing its deeply affordable housing by 60%! Seabury hopes to break ground on construction in Summer of 2025, with a grand reopening slated for 2027. 

Pleasant Hill is in the process of being revitalized as a group home for independent living. It will continue to serve a community of homeless or housing unstable seniors, and will include coordinated social services and group trips to the grocery store using Seabury’s transportation service.