Blessing and Dedication Ceremony of St. Joseph Manor II

A special Blessing and Dedication Grand Opening was held on Friday, April 11, 2025, to commemorate the opening of St. Joseph Manor II, marking a significant milestone in the mission to provide high-quality affordable senior living housing to Pompano Beach for seniors 62 and older.

The Most Reverend Thomas G. Wenski, Archbishop of Miami, led the blessing and dedication, offering prayers throughout the building and all who will call it home. His presence and spiritual leadership added profound meaning to the occasion.

“The grand opening of St. Joseph Manor II  represents our 19th senior housing community in South Florida. This new development offers 149 apartments dedicated to independent, low-income seniors who earn at or below 60 percent of area median income (AMI). The rents for the 60% AMI are 1,200 per month and 1 staff apartment for a total of 150 units.  The development cost was 56 million with a perm loan of 18.24 million. 

We are deeply grateful to our staff, partners, and applicants for their steadfast commitment in bringing this project to life,” said Juana D. Mejia, Vice President of Housing Development & Operations at Catholic Housing Management.

Mary Jo Frick, President and CEO, extended a heartfelt welcome to all guests and partners, acknowledging their continued dedication and support. ‘This is not just the opening of a building, but the beginning of new opportunities and hope for the lives that will be transformed here,’ she shared.

Juana D. Mejia and Jake Zunamon, SVP of Development of Smith & Henzy Affordable Group, took a moment to thank the dedicated financial sponsors whose contributions made the project possible. A heartfelt thank you was extended to Ralph Stone from the Broward Housing Finance Authority, Latonya Coley-McKenly from the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority, and Nicole Baldon of Bank of America.

Deerfield Beach Housing Authority also provided 100 project-based vouchers to the development to keep rents affordable for seniors on fixed incomes. Qualified residents for these units pay 30% of their adjusted income for rent.

Special recognition was also given to our long-term partners, Dustin Dubois of JWR Construction for his leadership throughout the building process, and to Brian Hebert of Gallo Hebert Architects for bringing the vision of the project to life through thoughtful design and architectural expertise along with Diana Castro from H3D Design.

Amenities of St. Joseph Manor II include a fitness center, business media center with computer stations, game room, community center, library, and a central park that connects to its sister property, St. Joseph Manor, a 63-unit development completed by Catholic Health Services in 2014.

This celebration marked not only the dedication of a building, but the dedication of a shared vision—to serve and provide safe, dignified housing for those in need.