MBS PURCHASES EBENEZER HOME

posted: November 27, 2009

The Mennonite Benevolent Society (MBS) recently completed the purchase of the Ebenezer Senior Home Society property on Marshall Road, including a 91-bed Residential Care facility and 16 Independent Living units.

The Ebenezer Senior Home Society was formed in 1965 by members of the Christian Reformed Churches in the Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver, and provided exemplary care for both church members and others in the community for four decades.

While Fraser Health provided temporary funding for beds at Ebenezer Home in recent years, it was not able to continue that support after September 2009. Given the high cost of residential complex care, and the fact that very few residents can afford to pay the full cost, government funding has become a necessity. Thus the decision was made to close the facility.

The offer from MBS to purchase the property was accepted not only for financial reasons, but also because of the shared goals and values of the two societies: namely, providing care and support in a compassionate, Christian environment.

For MBS, the property opens doors for the future. We know that we need to start replacing our aging buildings in a few years, but the problem is in carrying out such redevelopment—including demolition and new construction—while still providing care. Ebenezer Home could provide a place for residents from Menno Home or Hospital while we are in the rebuilding process.

The 16 Independent Living units (separate from Ebenezer Home facility) continue to be operational. Menno Housing administers the rental of those units.

In the long term, our hope is that both campuses will be actively used for providing the kind of housing and care that the founders of both MBS and the Ebenezer Senior Home Society launched in faith many decades ago.