Golden Years Homestead Inc

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"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act," Anatole France.
A dream, veiled in the minds of members of the Church of Christ/Christian Church, was revealed in 1967 with the incorporation of Golden Years Homestead, Inc. This dream, to provide facilities and programs for the welfare of the elderly, was acted upon in August 1971 when the doors of Golden Years Homestead opened. As a retirement community for the aged and debilitated, Golden Years Homestead originally opened with 24 residential and 25 healthcare beds. A doctor's examining room, meditation room, laundry, kitchen, beauty and barbershop, dining area and several lounges made this a true homestead for its new patrons.
In 1973, a 12-bed addition was completed providing additional health care services.
The dream to provide facilities for all elderly individuals, not just those in need of nursing care, led to the development of independent living. On April 22, 1979, ground was broken for a four unit independent living building. This building marked the beginning of a different type of ministry. The new facility offered a retirement setting for the elderly not heretofore provided at Golden Years. Several additional independent living clusters of apartments were constructed on site over the next few years.
Golden Years Homestead expanded beyond the Fort Wayne area in 1987. They joined forces with churches in Michigan to develop Great Lakes Christian Homes, a 100 unit independent living facility with complete ancillary services.
Concurrent with the development in Michigan, a 16-bed dementia special care unit was established at Golden Years in 1989. Due to the enormous need for this type of care, another 16-bed unit for special care services was completed in November 1994.
As the demand for independent retirement living grew, Golden Years Homestead expanded to meet the need. Thirty-eight villa-style units opened in late 1997 on a 5-acre tract just east of the main campus.
God has provided countless blessings. Golden Years Homestead is grateful to so many who through their vision and perseverance have helped make this home the ministry that it is today. The desire of the leadership is to continue dreaming, allowing God to accomplish great things.