Following a hard-fought battle to keep Dutchess County’s only nonprofit senior living facility up and running, Vassar-Warner Home is finally keeping its doors open with the implementation of a new social day program for seniors. The historic building will reopen as Vassar-Warner Home for the Day this June, providing personalized care to each senior based on individual interests, needs, dietary restrictions, and health considerations.
A 1835 Greek Revival building located on South Hamilton Street in the City of Poughkeepsie, Vassar-Warner Home is on the National Register of Historic Places and operated as a nonprofit senior living facility for 153 years. After a brief closure in 2024, the historic site intends to come back stronger than ever with its adult care program.
“Vassar-Warner Home is meant to serve seniors,” says Ericka Von Salews, executive director of Vassar-Warner. “Our adult day care program will enable our team to continue to care for people’s loved ones, now in an extended capacity.”
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Vassar-Warner Home for the Day will operate Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with daily and hourly rates. The facility will continue to be a haven for local seniors as it provides a safe and supportive environment of caregivers for elders. Onsite, there will also be a home health aide and personal care assistant to support those who have additional needs.
Attendees can expect to enjoy a nutritious hot lunch and morning and afternoon snacks, various activities like bingo, trivia, exercise, and mobility classes, educational lectures, book clubs, cooking classes, performances from local community groups, and more at the home. In addition to elder support, Vassar-Warner Home for the Day will also host support groups for those navigating caregiving or bereavement and health-focused informational sessions.
“We wouldn’t be here without the support of the Vassar-Warner Home family and greater Hudson Valley community,” says Richard Schuster, board president and leader of Save Vassar-Warner, a grassroots movement that worked to stop the home’s permanent closure. “This new chapter gives us the opportunity to continue serving Dutchess County’s most vulnerable population: seniors.”
Vassar-Warner Home for the Day is offering a complimentary one-day pass to be used on any weekday in June 2025 to the program’s first 25 applicants. Vassar-Warner Home is located at 52 South Hamilton Street in the City of Poughkeepsie.
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