Nov 15, 2011
Federation Gardens Celebrates 30 Years of Affordable Senior Housing
Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Federation Gardens, a Greater Miami Jewish Federation-sponsored, federally subsidized senior-housing facility, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a big party for the 180 residents who call it home.
Federation Gardens provides affordable housing for seniors to live as independently as possible in a dignified atmosphere. The facility opened in South Miami-Dade in 1982 and became so popular that a second building was added in 1990. Together, the buildings include 160 apartments offering residents a variety of services and programs – including daily meals, counseling, exercise and access to transportation – that improve their quality of life.
Mikhail Liberman, 85, has lived at Federation Gardens since 1994. He and his late wife, Naomi, needed a new place to live after Hurricane Andrew destroyed their Homestead apartment. He credits Federation Gardens “for making my life easier and happier.”
“I am very grateful to the Federation to live in such a friendly, quiet and clean place. I am also very thankful to the staff and the maintenance people because they are so knowledgeable,” he said.
Elizabeth Bernstein, 95, has been a resident almost since Federation Gardens opened. In fact, she remembers the exact date she moved in: March 4, 1984.
“In all the 28 years, it has been nice. Federation Gardens is kept up just the same as when I moved in. Even if someone told me there was a better place closer to my son, I would still stay here because the people that live here are so nice and treat me well, especially since I am not able to move around so easily.”
Along with facility amenities, a full range of services is available to Federation Gardens, including home healthcare, social services and a meal-site program through Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS), another local partner of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Residents like Elizabeth are grateful.
“For as long as I can manage on my own, I want to live here,” she said. “It is the best place for us elderly to live.”
Federation Gardens is one of two senior residential facilities sponsored by Federation and subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The other facility, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Federation Towers, has 114 units and is located in Miami Beach.
