By Mary O’KEEFE

As reported in CVW in August 2024, the iconic senior living center Twelve Oaks is
shutting down for a complete reconstruction. For many in the community this
brought up troubling memories of the past when Twelve Oaks was closed down by
the then-management company, the be.group, which notified residents they had to
vacate. Plans were underway for the sale of the property.

This segment of Twelve Oaks’ history began in August 2013 when residents at
the senior living facility were notified they had two months to vacate the site. At that
point the future was unknown for the home to many seniors.

The be.group, the company formerly known as Southern California
Presbyterian Homes, had taken over management of Twelve Oaks in 2002. A
spokesman for be.group stated it was just too expensive to remodel/renovate Twelve
Oaks to bring it up to “our safety standards.” The plan at the time was to sell the
property to a development company and stories began to circulate of how senior
residents were struggling to leave their homes at Twelve Oaks.

But what be.group and developers were not aware of was the power of this
community. At first there were protests by local residents as the news of the closure
began to spread. Then the Crescenta Valley Community Association (CVCA), CV
Town Council and Glendale City Council got involved, which spread to then-
Assemblymember Mike Gatto and former state senator Anthony Portantino. CVW
continued to focus on the plight of the elderly residents and their families as they
attempted to find another facility to move to.

The National Charity League (NCL) of Glendale had operated Twelve Oaks
until it was transferred to the be.group about a decade earlier. At the time Rose Chan,
then-president of NCL, said the sale of the location for profit violated
the spirit in which their transfer of stewardship had been conducted. A lawsuit
was filed and in 2015 a tentative agreement was reached between the be.group and
NCL. Twelve Oaks returned to its roots as a senior assisted living facility.

The property did go through some renovations in 2018 and some residents
returned who had been forced to vacate; however, for many the transfer from one
place to another was just too much and they decided to stay in their new facility.

Since then Twelve Oaks has been welcoming seniors and hosting community
events. But in August 2024, Twelve Oaks, an affiliate of Episcopal
Communities & Services (ECS), informed residents they would have to leave the
property due to construction. But there was a difference from the behavior of the
be.group. 

First of all, ECS is not planning on selling the property for profit. Instead it is
keeping it and updating the senior living facility to meet new standards in the assisted
living industry.

“On Aug. 14 [2024] Sharon [Pewtress, senior vice president of Operations and
COO of ECS] and I went out to meet with the team at Twelve Oaks, the residents
and their families,” said James Rothrock, president and CEO of ECS.

In addition they had several meetings with all stakeholders at Twelve Oaks.
Karen McAuley, former NCL, NCL Sustainers and current member of ECS and
Twelve Oaks Foundation Legacy boards, was also at the meetings.

This was a different approach than last time when those at NCL were caught
unaware of the for-profit sale proposed by the then-management company.

“We tried to help everyone understand what was happening in terms of the
desire of Twelve Oaks to redevelop the community,” Rothrock said.

They gave residents six months to find another facility to move to. They made
certain the residents didn’t feel abandoned and that they understood that due to the
mass construction that would be required at the property it was not safe to continue
to house residents there.

Rothrock added engineers surveyed the property and found a lot of the
buildings would have to be taken down.

“That was a difficult message to have to convey and I’m sure [for residents and
staff] to receive,” he said.

Immediately though ECS and Twelve Oaks representatives began to support
the residents and their families in the move.

“We assured [them] we would pay for moving costs,” he said.

They also helped residents organize.

“Also because Twelve Oaks is very modestly priced and hasn’t in some ways
kept up with increasing costs over time, we [then told residents] we would subsidize
residents’ current costs. For example, if they moved from our memory care [at Twelve
Oaks] to another memory care facility the difference [would be] substantial. We would
cover that cost for a period of up to five years, or their lifetime – whichever was
shorter,” Rothrock said.

Rothrock said as the ECS support was explained to families it seemed to lessen
their concerns.

“As a non-profit both organizations, Episcopal Community Services [ECS] and
Twelve Oaks, have a history of being there for the people we serve,” he added.

By the end of February 2025, the plans are for everyone to be relocated and the
property to be vacant of residents. Although regulations require a six-month notice to
vacate Rothrock said they felt in some cases that just wasn’t reasonable so they
offered to help those residents who could not yet move.

“What has been interesting is all but one had moved and the last resident [was
scheduled to move] by Dec. 10. So what we found is they wanted to be settled before
the holidays,” he added.

In addition to the organizational and financial support, ECS offered spiritual
support with a non-denominational chaplain who would visit staff, families and
residents.

Although ECS did not recommend any other facilities several of the residents
found nearby senior living facilities.

Rothrock said that when the construction was first announced many of the
residents seemed more concerned for the property than for themselves. Twelve Oaks
is an unusual senior living facility. It is nestled in a forest of oak trees and nature,
between the Verdugo Mountains and a quiet residential neighborhood.

“Sharon recalled one lady who asked if she could donate,” he said. “She wanted
to see some roses planted [at the location].” The woman wanted roses planted in
memory of those who had lived at Twelve Oaks.

ECS also supported the staff at Twelve Oaks.

“For the team [staff] members it was a hard message to receive, but they’ve
been great. We [at ECS] let them know early on that we would provide a retention
and severance for them,” Rothrock said. “And they were generously compensated for
staying with the residents [as the moving process continued].”

He added it was difficult not only leaving their jobs but leaving the residents.
ECS did what they could for the workers, including sustaining health care benefits for
those who were in their early 60s until they qualified for Medicare.

The construction will see the small cabins torn down that have been the
cornerstone of Twelve Oaks.

“The new place is going to be one large building,” he said.

However, ECS and Twelve Oaks representatives understand the uniqueness of
the location and have planned for the new building to follow the topography so it will
look like smaller buildings combined into one.

The reason the small cabin footprint would not work is because of the care that
is now required to maintain them. The small cabins made it difficult for health care
workers to receive deliveries and get services needed for specific residents.

Rothrock said they are respecting the environment and the neighborhood look
of Twelve Oaks. In fact there was a building in the original plans that would have
been on a corner that was too close to oak trees so that had to be changed. An
arborist was also hired to help preserve everything possible as construction moves
forward.

ECS has also reached out to the CVCA to get community feedback and to keep
its members informed. It also wants to reach out to other organizations, including the
Historical Society of Crescenta Valley.

Gabriel Mendham, director of ECS, said ECS has gone above and beyond in its
outreach and support.

“[It] approached it in as kind a manner as possible [by] giving residents six
months to find other homes. [It has supported them by] financially facilitating the
moves,” she said. “I feel like a lot of time and processing was put into this change.
And ECS did a wonderful job consulting with NCL … I think it took into
consideration the families’ and residents’ physical and emotional wellbeing.”

ECS also worked with NCL to send out holiday cards to residents regardless of
where they were living to let them know they are still thought of at Twelve Oaks.

And now the task of construction lies ahead. ECS has been working through
the permitting process with the City of Glendale. Rothrock said it has met with some
Glendale council members and hopes they see this is not just a development but a
community asset for the City. He is hopeful the permitting process will go smoothly
and construction can begin soon.

ECS is working with local community organizations, City of Glendale officials
and staff and with NCL to make certain the new Twelve Oaks will be as welcoming as
it was in 1935 when James and Effie Fifield first donated the land to be used for the
elderly.