The “No Vacancy” sign at the Pleasant View Rest Home in Pulaski County is officially lit. With their capacity of 15 residents completely full, the county commissioners this week denied a request from an individual who wanted to stay at the home.
The state ombudsman asked if the county would be willing to take someone in with an income of only $700– a little under the $1148 the home normally charges. Previously, the ARCH program offered by the state would make up that difference, but that program has been frozen for two years, offering elderly people with low income fewer places to turn.
Sandy Hurd from the rest home explained that even though the commissioners denied it this time, that doesn’t mean it’s not a possibility in the future.
“The county decided to not do that as of right now because we were full, but they said that at a later time, if our census was dropping at some point, then they would reconsider it,” Hurd said.
Hurd also informed the commissioners that contractors for the Friends of Pleasant View, an organization dedicated to helping the home, had started work on the roof Wednesday. A member of the group will go in front of the county council Monday to see if they will fund $10,000 to fix the entire roof because they currently only have enough money raised to repair half the roof.
The roof has been in need of repairs because some rooms have been suffering from leaks, and it’s not uncommon for shingles to fly off the roof during a storm. Previously, the Friends of Pleasant View and local churches were helping redo some of the rooms, and are waiting for the roof to be repaired before beginning work on rooms upstairs.
