HUD Funded Senior Center Remodeled and Open in Gwinnett County

Deputy Regional Administrator Willie Taylor addresses officials and seniors prior to ribbon cutting.

Newly renovated recreational room.

Newly renovated cafeteria.

Hundreds of seniors of Gwinnett County, Georgia are now able to enjoy the full use of the Lawrenceville Senior Center recently as HUD Deputy Regional Administrator Willie Taylor joined local county and city officials at the ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the reopening of the center after being closed for renovations since early last Fall.

The remodeled center has increased capacity to meet the growing local senior population needs as there is a larger dining room with a remodeled food service area, a new fitness room, a renovated multipurpose room that allows staff to host more programs for seniors, new classroom and program room space, a new room for playing card games, new spaces where seniors can also obtain haircuts and have their medical health status checked too.

Additionally, the center underwent ADA accessibility improvements to include the telecoil hearing core loop which assists seniors who have hearing difficulties.

"It gives seniors a way to age in place...today we have almost 122,000 seniors in a total population of more than 900,000," Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Charlotte Nash said at the ribbon-cutting. "Seniors now make up more than 13 percent of the Gwinnett population, and we must continue planning for this expected growth."

"HUD is honored to be able to contribute to Gwinnett County's vision and hope for seniors to age in place with dignity," said Taylor. "There is a growing need for such efforts and we remain optimistic that progress may continue to go forward to help our seniors." The revamped center ribbon cutting ceremony was also attended by Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson, State Senators Renee Unterman and Gloria Butler and local residents. Funding for the renovations came from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant program, supplemented by grants from the Atlanta Regional Commission and Gwinnett county's 2014 special-purpose, local option sales tax program.

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