The Vassar-Warner Home, a building that has served the City of Poughkeepsie community in the same Greek Revival building on Hamilton Street for 155 years, is fully reopening as an independent senior living facility.
The Vassar-Warner Home will open its doors once again to house up to 35 residents in April, following private investments after two years navigating significant funding challenges to serve area seniors.
Vassar-Warner was scheduled for closure in October 2024, and a grassroots effort dubbed Save Vassar-Warner was put together by the family and friends of the home’s residents to prevent the closure.
Ultimately, the home’s residents were moved to other facilities in mid-December 2024.
Yet the fight to save Vassar-Warner continued, even after the last residents left the assisted living facility and a brief closure occurred in 2024. Vassar-Warner reopened in summer 2025 with a new service model: a social adult day care.
However, Vassar-Warner will once again operate as Dutchess County’s only nonprofit independent senior living residence.
Executive Director of Vassar-Warner Ericka Von Salews said in a statement, “The past few years have been a journey, one full of highs and lows, but our determination to restore Vassar-Warner to what it has always been has never wavered.”
Vassar-Warner’s adult day care will continue
Vassar-Warner’s social model adult day care, called Vassar-Warner Home for the Day, will continue operation as well.
This service model welcomes elders to interact with peers for a few hours or a full day, providing a safe, homelike environment for the elderly while their caregiver or loved one is at work, running errands for a few hours, like grocery shopping or getting care for themselves.
What to expect for Vassar-Warner’s reopening
This spring, Vassar-Warner’s reopening as an independent senior living facility fosters a core mission of dignity, community, independence and compassion at its core.
Its goal is to provide high-quality care, meeting the individual needs of every resident in a nurturing environment designed to enhance quality of life.
The home’s all-inclusive rate, which was not disclosed, will cover three meals a day, laundry and housekeeping, as well as social, cultural and physical activities to encourage connection and well-being.
Residents will be able to engage in services and programs suited to the individuals’ interests, health considerations, needs and dietary restrictions, from exercise and mobility classes to painting and crafts, or such as diverse educational lectures and book clubs.
How to apply for Vassar-Warner Home, stay up to date
Richard Schuster, whose mother lived at Vassar-Warner before its closure, became the leader of the Save Vassar-Warner effort. In October 2024, Schuster became the nonprofit’s board president and still serves in that role.
Schuster said those at Vassar-Warner are “beyond grateful for the support from our staff, the community and generous donors, and we look forward to continuing to serve our seniors and provide them a safe and supportive home.”
Applications are now open for the Vassar-Warner Home. Visit https://vassarwarner.org/admission-process/ to learn more.
Check out www.vassarwarner.org and on Facebook (@VassarWarnerHome), to stay up to date on the grand reopening.
If you would like to financially support the Vassar-Warner Home and its work, donations can be made at www.vassarwarner.org/make-a-donation/.
Nickie Hayes is Breaking & Trending News Reporter for the Poughkeepsie Journal. See her most recent articles here. Contact reporter Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com, 845-863-3518 and @nickieehayess on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Vassar-Warner to reopen doors as independent senior living facility
Reporting by Nickie Hayes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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