By Sue Denny • Posted August 5, 2026

Catholic Charities of Philadelphia continues to expand the options for seniors to remain in an affordable home in their neighborhood.

The organization is completing construction on the ninth senior housing community it has developed and manages in the region.

St. Katharine Drexel Place in Northeast Philadelphia will consist of 48 one-bedroom apartments – 27 in a rehabbed former friary that once housed Franciscan priests and brothers who taught at Archbishop Ryan High School on Academy Road, and 21 in a newly constructed three-story addition.

“There has been more interest in this development than in any other development we’ve done,” said Suzanne O’Grady Laurito, Director of Catholic Charities’ Catholic Housing and Community Services. At least 300 people have requested information. “We’ve never started off with such great interest.”

Residents must be 62 or older and meet income requirements. A subsidy is associated with each unit, so rents will be no more than 30 percent of a resident’s monthly income.

Work on the $24 million project – the “adaptive reuse” of an existing site, according to O’Grady Laurito – began in September 2025 and is nearing completion. The majority of funding has come from federal low-income housing tax credits.

Like other Catholic Charities communities, St. Katharine of Drexel Place will offer handicap-accessible apartments plus case management, health services, and recreational activities, allowing residents to age in place in the communities they love.

The typical apartment features a living room, bedroom, full kitchen and bath designed to meet the challenges often faced by the elderly. Amenities include roll-in showers, emergency pull cords, handrails, and an on-site building manager and social worker.

Catholic Charities is a leading provider of senior living services in the Philadelphia region. “People know that our buildings are designed to meet their needs, to look beautiful, and to look market rate – not like affordable housing,” O’Grady Laurito said. “We believe that everybody needs to live in a space that is reflective of their God-given innate dignity.”

Keenly aware of the great need for affordable senior housing, Catholic Charities is committed to expanding its portfolio following the opening of St. Katharine of Drexel Place, which is expected in 2027. Discussions are underway with parishes in Philadelphia and Delaware County for potentially redeveloping unoccupied Church properties.

“It’s always easier and more efficient to start from scratch,” O’Grady Laurito said. “But the ability to reuse Church property that has held such importance and holds so many memories from decades of a prior mission –  that’s really special.”

Two Catholic Charities senior communities in Philadelphia – Nativity B.V.M. Place in Port Richmond and St. Francis Villa in East Kensington – recently celebrated their 10-year anniversaries.

Nativity B.V.M. Place, a 100-year-old parish elementary school converted to 63 one-bedroom apartments, opened in late 2015. Many residents have a deep connection to the former school, which closed in 2008.

“As it turns out, some of them went to school here,” social worker Kristi Bennett said. “They’ll tell us, ‘This was the lunchroom, this was my math class.’”  A senior community center occupies the old school cafeteria.

Bennett divides her time between the two properties, spending two days a week at St. Francis Villa and three days at Nativity B.V.M. doing “a little bit of everything,” she said.

Her main responsibilities for serving residents are navigating government benefits, managing medical appointments, and scheduling social gatherings and wellness programs.

Bennett recently initiated a chair-exercise program for residents in Nativity B.V.M.’s community room.

Other Catholic Charities senior housing communities include Father Augustus Tolton Place, Casa Carmen Aponte, St. Rita Place, St. John Neumann Place I and II, all in Philadelphia; plus St. Joseph Place in Collingdale, Delaware County.

All buildings offer a food cupboard stocked with canned goods and frozen and fresh meat, vegetables and fruits provided by Catholic Charities’ Nutritional Development Services. Residents can rely on free food at the end of the month, when their limited funds may run low.

“You have seniors who have worked their whole lives. They may have a pension, Social Security, and a little bit of savings, yet it’s still hard to afford the necessities of life: food, shelter, medical care,” O’Grady Laurito said.

To learn more about Catholic Charities’ senior housing, visit here. Communities have a two- to three-year waiting list for admission.

“There is so much of a need for places like these,” Bennett said. “Seniors really want to stay in their own neighborhoods. That’s why we’re constantly trying to expand into new areas. We want to reach people where they are.”

Individuals interested in St. Katharine of Drexel Place can learn more about the application process at community meetings tentatively planned for September. An official application day will follow, at which time potential residents can submit their housing applications and supporting documentation.

A property management company will confirm applicants meet age and income requirements. Final selection is on a first-come, first-served basis.

“It can feel like a drop in the bucket, but for each person, we provide beautiful, significant, affordable, safe senior housing,” O’Grady Laurito said. “It makes our work worth it.”