BALTIMORE — For almost 10 years, Jennifer Gibson has been operating this assisted living facility in East Baltimore.
Now, she is looking to expand the facility, but she needs a bit of help.
“This home was my brother’s house. I have a younger brother. He purchased the house, gutted the house out, and unfortunately, my brother was murdered," says Gibson.
2209 East North Avenue is home to the Strength To Love Assisted Living Facility, which Gibson owns and operates.
She says the idea to turn the rowhome into the facility came from the lack of personalized care she saw in other places.
“I went to small facilities, large facilities, all through Baltimore City, Baltimore County, I even went to the Pennsylvania line, and unfortunately, what I saw was a lot of these, even the larger ones, where people were paying an astronomical amount of money people were not getting the personalized care that they deserved," she says.
She also saw a need for people to be able to afford the care as well.
James Berry was Gibson’s first resident inside the facility, and he says Gibson is like a big sister to him even though he is older.
He has been living there for 7 years and he says he wouldn’t trade the care he gets here for anything.
“I’m in a home where as though I’m comfortable, I know I’m safe, and my care providers take very good care of me, so um, I’m getting the best treatment I can get, so I'm good with it," says Berry.
He also says since he has been there the longest, he sees just how hard Gibson has worked to maintain the facility and provide quality care.
“She does this from the heart, you know, and I just hope that she can get things working the way that she wants to because she definitely deserves it," he says.
Gibson says she is also seeing a positive transformation happening in East Baltimore, and she is hoping her facility can expand and be a part of the change.
“To be able to give back to the community that I grew up in, I wanna be able to get back to people that are sometimes ignored and not even thought about, and it shouldn’t have to matter what kind of care you get based on how much money pay," says Gibson.
She owns the vacant rowhome next door and wants it to be a part of the Strength to Love assisted living facility, but in order for her to open those doors, she has to renovate which is where she needs financial support.
Right now, she has four beds, two of which are occupied, but expanding can help her increase the number of people she can help.
“I am thankful for where I’ve gone this far and I know that some people may say 10 years and you’re still, and I'm like, you know what, I’m gonna keep going until God tells me so," says Gibson.
Gibson also says she is looking to hire more staff as well to help with day-to-day operations and caretaking.
