Ruth Center Assisted Living Proposal - Project L.I.F.E. Foundation

The Ruth Center’s main vision as a ministry is to first and foremost provide care and love for the elderly of Thailand. We also have a passion to see family relationships strengthened between elderly parents and their children, so that these children can care for the needs of their parents. However, some elderlies are widowed, single, childless, neglected - they have no one caring or providing for them. These people live fearfully and illegally in dangerous communities, on private land where eviction is an unpredictable reality.

As a result of forming relationships and observing the fear the elderlies live in, together with the elderly we desire to provide a safe home and community for them, where they can again feel a part of a family. Our first phase in this project, which is purchasing 86 rai (35 acres) of land. In the future, we will be able to accommodate 150 elderly and 30 staff members at once in our assisted living community, and over the course of time we hope to care for many more than that.

In Today's Society

Thailand is facing a change in the demographic structure. It is growing to be an aging society. The numbers of the working age population and childhood has decreased, as well as the birth and mortality rates.

In 2014, Thailand had an aging population of 10.1 million people, 14.95% of the total population. For the next 5 years, Thailand will become a 'completely aged society where a high percentage of the population is aged 20 and higher.' By the year 2035..., up to 30% of the estimated total population will be elderly (Board of Grievances. 2014:28). It can be said that in less than 20 years ahead, Thailand will become "the ultimate super aged society." The involvement of everybody is crucial to the improvement of the quality of life of the elderly.

There are 21 current assisted living homes in Thailand, all of which are run by the government. Together, they can service 3,000 people (Technical Promotion and Support Office 2, 2015). If we compare this number to the total amount of elderly people in Thailand (10.1 million, 38% of which are widowed and single, 87% have only primary education or lower [Office of Strategic Assessment, 2014,]) it reflects how the number of homes are insufficient to support the growing elderly numbers in need of help.

How We Currently Help

Ruth Center is one of the ministries of Project L.I.F.E. Foundation. We were founded on May 1, 2008 with a mission dedicated to "improve the quality of life for the elderly in physical, psychological, and spiritual ways with determination." Under the vision of Project L.I.F.E. Foundation is the idea of "loving in a family environment," which means fostering a love with a family atmosphere.

The problems that the elderly face... are many problematic health issues, housing issues, lack of finances, and locations of communities in invasive areas that result in eviction. At the heart of the operations of the Ruth Center is the idea of strengthening family; a strengthened family helps face the problems of life. Although this is a good vision, we must admit that the problem at this time is too difficult for us to find a solution. We are still seeing elderly in the communities faced with eviction, children and grandchildren leaving, being widowed, and having no relatives to take care of them. They also often find themselves without ID, and they are usually left with the responsibility of taking care of their grandchildren. Looking at these issues, the need for an assisted living home is serious.

Ruth Center Assisted Living

Therefore, the Ruth Center sees that building a home for the elderly will be an answer to all the problems above that they face. We want our community to grow and transform the surrounding community. To accomplish this, we want to plant a church that has outreach programs, through which the elderly are involved and can minister to the locals. We hope that this home will be self-sustainable through solar power and farming.

This project will not deter us from the ministry we do in Bangkok. Everything will remain the same - we are only expanding our ministry by creating opportunity to provide further care for those who are unable to get help through social services or other means. The homes will provide a new family and a new community, because every life has value in God's sight.

Objectives

To provide shelter for the homeless elderly, who have no one caring for them.
To be a new family and a new community for the elderly.
To create a sense of caring for the family of the elderly.

Budget* (consisting of 8 phases)

Amount Needed

Needed By

Phase 1

Purchase the land

USD $156,000

Phase 2

Site development

USD $182,500

Phase 3

Office building, staff/Elderly housing

USD $199,000

Phase 4

Elderly housing & nursery/barn

TBA

Phase 5**

Church/canteen

TBA

Phase 6**

Medical building

TBA

Phase 7**

Elderly housing

TBA

Phase 8**

Long term staff housing

TBA

**100% of donations go directly to this project
**order subject to change

Phase 3 Progress

We are currently in Phase 3 of our plan which is to build 8 housing units, a kitchen, and office around the fish pond as well as upgrade the power supply. Each unit can house 4 people for a total of 32 more people living on the farm when the housing units are completed. We were blessed by a generous financial gift in 2021 which has already paid for 1 completed unit, kitchen and housing for 3 full time staff. Therefore, to finish phase 3 we need to raise enough funds to complete the remaining 7 units as well as the kitchen, office and power supply.

house unit costs = $22,000 all 7 Unit = $154,000

Kitchen and Office = $ 60,000

Power Supply Upgrade = $48,000

Total to complete Phase 3 = $262,000

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