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Good Samaritan to sell Florida properties

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Good Samaritan Society has announced that it is selling its Florida properties as part of a consolidation move.

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The Kissimmee properties were ravaged by Hurricane Ian, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate and unable to find a new place to live.

From the hundreds who were initially forced to evacuate, residents said approximately 50 remained as of earlier this month, unable to find a new place to live.

The residents of the senior living community were evacuated quickly after the storm passed often with just the clothes they were wearing. They first moved into three different hotels in the area using FEMA assistance but had to leave those locations in the fall due to capacity issues.

READ: Good Samaritan Village residents face uncertain future as evacuation order continues

Good Samaritan was known for offering apartments and mobile home lots below market cost, making it a secure place to live for seniors on fixed incomes.

Florida is one of more than a dozen states the Good Samaritan Society is gradually transitioning out of, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Hawaii, Montana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Wisconsin.

The sale will also affect the organization’s DeLand campus.

READ: Displaced, homeless Good Samaritan residents say they must move again

Read the full statement from Good Samaritan Society President & CEO Nate Schema below:

As part of a leading integrated health system, the Good Samaritan Society has an unprecedented opportunity to shape the future of senior care and services, and reimagine how care is delivered at every stage of life. This work is especially important given the challenges and opportunities facing health care, including impacts of the pandemic. We are committed to pursuing these opportunities and are taking another transformative step as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen care delivery.

The Good Samaritan Society is consolidating services and investments to seven core states, which include South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Nearly 70% of the seniors we serve are in this seven state area. A consolidated footprint will best enable us to focus resources and investments to continue to strengthen our quality of care and services and meet the comprehensive and evolving needs of our seniors and communities.

Locations outside of the seven state service area will gradually transition to new senior care providers, and we are committed to selecting quality providers that will continue our mission. Until transitions are complete in each location, these employees and residents will see no changes in their day-to-day experience.

We will continue to provide the full support our Good Samaritan Society Family needs and deserves as we advance our mission, and will communicate new information to residents, families and employees as it becomes available.

READ: Good Samaritan tells residents to start paying rent as safety concerns are raised

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.