DEERFIELD — The town’s Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee has extended the deadline for its senior housing needs survey to July 31, as it awaits more responses from residents older than 55.
The online survey will guide the committee in creating a plan for affordable senior housing. South County Senior Center Director and committee member Jennifer Remillard said the survey is an “important” step in crafting a long-term plan for the town.
“In order to have an accurate measure of what the communities of Deerfield and South Deerfield want, we need them to complete these surveys,” Remillard said. “We know that taking surveys can be very cumbersome at times, but this is the only way towns can obtain the data to move forward with what the community needs and wants.”
The survey can be accessed at bit.ly/DeerfieldSurvey and residents need a key code provided to them on a post card sent to all Deerfield residents over 55 years old. Anyone who has lost their code can contact committee member Lili Dwight at 413-665-8576 or ldwight.srhousing@deerfield.life. Folks can also contact Remillard at scsc@town.deerfield.ma.us.
This survey, Remillard emphasized, is different from the South County Senior Center needs assessment survey, which was conducted in a partnership with the University of Massachusetts Boston. This survey is being conducted by the town and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) is helping process results.
Hard copies of the survey will also be available at the South County Senior Center or Town Hall, which can be filled out and delivered to Remillard at the Senior Center.
Residents can expect a wide range of survey questions such as what kind of amenities they desire, the size of apartments they’re looking for or storage needs.
These questions, Remillard said, will help the town “find information from our community of Deerfield of what they currently need, and the future needs and wants if they were to move into senior housing.”
She said developing these long-term plans is a necessity to address housing shortages in town and across the county. The town could also look toward a local-preference model, where Deerfield residents are given priority access to a potential housing process, much like how Sanderson Place is giving preference to Sunderland residents.
“We are aware of the need for affordable housing for our senior community,” Remillard said.