Mc Kenzie House sits right downtown at 43 Elmwood Avenue in Burlington, inside a Victorian building built back in 1983, and the place has always tried to make things comfortable and affordable for seniors and people with disabilities. Now, there are 41 apartments, with five set up as two-bedroom units and the rest as one-bedrooms, and every unit has a single bathroom and a pretty spacious living room, with the building size for two-bedroom spots running anywhere from 560 to 810 square feet. The apartments are designed so residents pay about 30% of their income for rent if they qualify for rental assistance, and the place accepts HUD subsidies, PBRA units, and VHFA Financing, which helps keep things affordable for folks who need it. Almost all the units are accessible or adaptable, making it easier for people who use wheelchairs or walkers to get around, and there are fully accessible pathways and ground-floor units, so you don't have to worry about steps or tricky places to get into.
The building is smoke-free and allows pets, though you'll need a reference check, a pet interview, and there's a $300 pet deposit, but that's become common for places like this. You get on-site laundry, a community room that comes with a kitchen and a TV/VCR/DVD setup, a screened-in porch, and parking for residents, so there's enough to help with day-to-day needs, and there's even a community garden and open pathways, which people seem to enjoy, especially when the weather's nice. People who live here get weekly bus trips for grocery shopping and flu shot clinics, and the place runs seasonal events like holiday dinners, bingo, exercise classes, picnics, garden time, or trips to see the fall leaves or go boating, and little things like a monthly newsletter and a foot clinic, which a lot of people have said make life a bit smoother. Grounds maintenance, snow plowing, and garbage removal-including on-site dumpsters and recycling-are taken care of, plus you've got secured entries and a 24-hour emergency maintenance service if something goes wrong late at night while most folks are sleeping.
While there aren't on-site meals or nursing staff, and no direct personal care, the community does have a Resident Service Coordinator who helps connect residents with outside support or local programs if they need more help-people say they're good about helping folks find what they need around town or with their health, even if it's not part of the regular services here. All of the apartments get rental assistance if needed, and the rules about storage are a bit tight, like in most old buildings, but a lot of people make it work. Mc Kenzie House doesn't offer meals or medical services directly, so anyone who needs help with those things usually arranges it through outside agencies or family, though a few supportive services sometimes come in, and there are also housekeeping, running errands, meal preparation, and reading help available. Community wellness programs, counseling, and even occasional foot and pain management clinics show up, and some other long-term care programs or home health can be coordinated for those who need more, and there's even a focus on keeping the place welcoming and affordable, which a lot of people find comforting.
The building is currently full but keeps a waitlist open, so folks can apply in case a spot opens up. The place is managed by O Brien Brothers Agency Inc. and is owned by McKenzie House Associates, with a reputation for being fairly straightforward about what's available and what's not; there's no fancy dining hall or nurse on every floor, but the basics get taken care of, and you get the feeling that folks who work there do try to keep things steady for the tenants. The place doesn't have a lot of extra features or themed spaces, just the regular kind of setup you expect in a senior living building from the eighties, but being right in Burlington, you're near shops and activities if you want to get out. If you're thinking about a spot that keeps things simple and sticks to the basics-somewhere you can get help finding outside services but keep your own space-Mc Kenzie House is the sort of place that tries to meet those needs without a lot of fuss. You can learn more at obrienbrothersvt.com.
