KCLU | By Caroline Feraday
Construction begins Thursday on a project which is the brainchild of a former gossip columnist.
She paved the way for Hollywood gossip reporting and was a regular on the Today Show.
But Rona Barrett, now 85-years-young herself, is the determined driving force behind an affordable housing development for low-income seniors, through her self-named foundation.
Harry’s House in the Santa Ynez Valley is the final piece of her vision of a community where seniors can access care that meets their needs and was inspired by someone dear to her heart.
"Harry's House is being named after my dad. My dad was my big inspiration for understanding what one was supposed to do with their life at some point in the life. And that was, if you have an extra nickel, and you don't need it, then give it to someone who does need it," she told KCLU.
"What I noticed was that the seniors in this country were always forgotten and I thought that was a big mistake," she said. "So one day I thought that I would do something. Harry's House has been a dream for ages."