B’nai B’rith International was pleased to welcome Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) during his visit yesterday to B’nai B’rith Apartments in Allentown, Pa., where he engaged with residents and learned about the vital role subsidized senior housing plays in the community.

Mackenzie’s tour of the building included resident apartments, a common room, gym, computer room, garden room, and patio. Mackenzie also met with residents to discuss how programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and affordable housing impact the lives of older adults.

“The B’nai B’rith Apartments are a great example of what safe, affordable, and community-oriented housing can look like for seniors in the Greater Lehigh Valley,” Mackenzie said. “It was great to tour the facility and hear firsthand from residents about what this community means to them.”

B’nai B’rith Apartments staff and board members greeted the congressman, including Kathy Andreas, property manager; Beth Gonzalez, assistant manager; Ellen Sosis, board member; and Jennifer Leffler, senior service coordinator. Welcoming him from B’nai B’rith International was Evan Carmen, who serves as legislative director for Aging Policy and also serves on the board of directors for the building.

“I want to thank Congressman Mackenzie for visiting B’nai B’rith Apartments and seeing firsthand the vital role HUD affordable housing plays in the lives of older adults,” Carmen said. “B’nai B’rith Apartments is more than bricks and mortar; it’s a community that the residents can call home. HUD senior housing buildings across the country play a critical role in providing affordable housing to seniors, who too often have to wonder how they will find the resources to pay for groceries and medications.”

B’nai B’rith Apartments is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development low-income housing facility sponsored by B’nai B’rith, a leader in the Jewish community’s approach to aging issues through its Center for Senior Services (CSS). With our first housing partnership with HUD launched in 1971 and with 35 buildings in 27 communities, we are the largest national Jewish sponsor of low-income subsidized housing for seniors in the United States. But we don’t just build senior housing—CSS staff support training and programs for the residents, building staff and board members that make up our Housing Network.