Residents of Schmale apartments enjoy perks of senior living

It’s been just about one year since seniors began moving into the Schmale Family Senior Residence on 16th Street and they’ve settled in nicely with Circle gatherings and 7-Day Pantry Box deliveries filled with snacks and meals.

Schmale resident Ruthie Lawrence was featured in the Ramona Sentinel last July as one of the first occupants to move in. She has since organized her apartment using the mantra “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Organization is especially important to Lawrence as she has regular visits from her two daughters, Ramona resident Stacy Martinez-Hernandez and Scripps Ranch resident Marsi Knight, in addition to her seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

“When it’s all out and just crazy, it takes me 15 minutes to put it all back like nothing ever happened,” said Ruthie, who keeps things orderly with lots of Lazy Susan turntables, hooks and drawer organizers. “Before, I didn’t want to leave the city. Now I wouldn’t go back.”

Ruthie Lawrence keeps all of her bright and cheerful belongings well organized in her apartment.

(Julie Gallant)

Some of the perks that come with living at the senior apartments for residents 62 and older include getting 7-Day Pantry Boxes. Serving Seniors delivers the boxes available to Schmale residents once a week. Also called Shelf Stable Meals, the boxes contain 21 meals, or enough to provide three meals a day over seven days a week. The pre-packaged, easy to prepare meals are complemented with snacks such as fruit cups, crackers and cookies, peanut butter and fruit juices.

Separate food distributions are offered through the Free Farmers Market fresh produce stands. The farmers market sponsored by First Congregational Church of Ramona provides produce and packaged food every other Thursday at the Schmale apartments. As a precaution against spreading COVID-19, the food is currently being distributed door-to-door.

Edith Glassey, vice president of philanthropy for Serving Seniors, said as donations become available, Schmale residents are also provided with dental hygiene and personal hygiene kits, face masks and pet supplies.

Other supportive services are available through the Connections program, in which a case manager can discuss each residents’ needs face-to-face and help provide services.

Schmale Family Senior Residence makes some units affordable to qualified seniors.

(Julie Gallant)

Lawrence, 71, said she had to scale down her belongings from her formerly spacious North Park home by eliminating everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary.

Lawrence remembers being coaxed by her son-in-law Andrew Knight to move to Schmale Family Senior Residence and was in disbelief when the move-in date was postponed. But she said the complex turned out to be a blessing for her and other residents of the 62-unit building.

Since the property has received funding in part through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, a certain number of units are set aside for lower income households. Households must earn either less than 50 percent or 60 percent of the area median income to qualify for these units. Rents in these units are capped at a maximum of 30 percent of the set-aside area median income. Some units are not subject to the LIHTC program, however, and therefore have higher rents and no maximum household income requirement.

Lawrence said her grandson Justin Martinez compares the complex to living in a dorm because there is a lot of activity and friendly neighbors. Every month, the residents share a birthday cake to celebrate all the birthdays being held in the complex that month. The social nature of the building is fostered through regular “Circle” meetings in which the residents get together in the courtyard or community room for conversations and updates.

“One of my most favorite things was when I moved here, it was during summer, and no one had Internet access,” she said. “Therefore, most every tenant came to the circle we formed in the courtyard and that’s how we got to know each other. That’s one of our favorite memories.”

Lawrence said through years of trial and error she’s learned some pearls of wisdom that she readily shares with her neighbors:

• Keep everything simple and don’t allow clutter.

• Stay in the ever-present moment and finish your moves to be prepared for what’s around the corner.

• Exercise is important.

• Surround yourself with your favorite colors to stay upbeat — you have a responsibility to stay happy.

• Always do what you know in your heart is right.

• Be Teflon — don’t let anybody get under your skin.

“Living at Schmale senior apartments is paradise,” said Lawrence, who adds she and the other residents enjoy being in the hub of Ramona with easy access to stores and restaurants. “You have a fantastic extended family. You feel a happy environment. It’s a little pure paradise in Ramona.”