KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation leadership recently guided Dr. Ralph Alvarado, the Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner, on a tour of The Manor at Northgate Terrace.

The Manor is a unique program in Tennessee that caters to elderly people experiencing aging challenges. It is not an assisted living facility or nursing home but provides essential supportive services to help elderly people maintain independence and safety.

The tour highlighted The Manor’s age-in-place approach to promoting the physical, mental, and social needs of low-income people with disabilities and elderly people.

The Manor is a HUD-subsidized property, and its residents are charged rent based on their income. In addition, it offers supportive services such as daily meal delivery to individual apartments, daily safety checks for residents, specialized case management, emergency call pendants (if residents provide a landline phone), laundry service, housekeeping, and social activities. A sliding scale determines the monthly fee for these services.

During his visit, Alvarado expressed hope to develop a program where people across the state could refer those who develop issues to places like The Manor, where supportive services are available. He believes this facility is an excellent example of how communities can help people.

Alvarado said he plans to “develop a program where we can have people in every health department that if someone creates an issue – they can be referred there and then connect them to all of these wonderful people that are doing great things for them in communities – this facility is one of those examples.”

Alvarado also shared his five-year plan for his department, which aims to make Tennessee a place where people can age and live independently, providing resources to care for them in case they get sick.

The Manor is a donor-supported program, and people who are interested in donating can visit biggiveknox.org/organizations/themanor or search for “The Manor at Northgate” on the website.

As Giving Tuesday and United Way of Greater Knoxville’s The Big Give approaches on Nov. 28, this is an excellent opportunity to support The Manor.