History

Port Coquitlam Senior Citizens’ Housing Society is the largest single provider of residential services to seniors in the Tri-Cities area. A registered nonprofit society, it was founded in 1958 by concerned volunteers within the community who shared a vision of providing affordable housing for seniors with limited incomes.

The Society’s mandate was to develop and operate low income housing sites. Dogwood Manor opened in 1960 and expanded from 12 units to 22 by 1965.  Hawthorne Manor opened 22 units in 1970 and an additional 10 units in 1972.

In 1970 the Society’s mandate was expanded to include the construction and operation of a long-term care facility. Hawthorne Lodge, a six-storey, 166-bed personal/intermediate care facility, was opened in 1973. A special care unit was opened in 1991 to care for residents suffering from cognitive impairment.

In 1992 the Lodge received hospital status, and in 1995 Hawthorne Lodge was renamed Hawthorne Care Centre. A 75-bed Extended Care Unit (ECU) was also established shortly thereafter. The momentum continued, and we welcomed the new millennium with a new building in 2001—Dogwood Place. This building housed 31 one-bedroom suites for independent-living seniors.

By 2003, however, we were seeing an increase in a level of care that was substantially more complex in nature. The Hawthorne Campus project was multi-phased and involved the construction of the eight Dementia Care Cottages (56 beds in total) and the Assisted Living Tower, which recently opened in 2007. In addition, a new 24-suite seniors building at Dogwood Manors houses residents of the older Hawthorne Manors site.

The expansion and growth of the Port Coquitlam Senior Citizens’ Housing Society illustrates that we have been proactive in responding to the needs of the senior population, providing timely and tangible solutions in keeping with evolving demands. 

To this day, our main mission remains true to the original mandate: to actively support our seniors’ community by providing affordable housing.

We are proud to say that we are currently providing a total of 271 units of affordable accommodation to area seniors across four locations:

• 31 one-bedroom units at Dogwood Place
• 39 units of low-cost seniors’ housing at Dogwood Manor (15 cottage style suites and 24 suite building)
• 131 complex residential care beds within the Hawthorne Seniors Care Community
• 70 assisted living suites in the Hawthorne Seniors Care Community. (60 bachelor, 10 one-bedroom)

The Hawthorne Seniors Care Community is operated by the Port Coquitlam Housing Society. Hawthorne Seniors Care Community currently operates under contracts with Fraser Health to provide 131 spaces for individuals requiring complex residential care and 60 spaces in the Adult Day Program. With the newly renovated Assisted Living Tower completing the redevelopment project in 2007, the Hawthorne Seniors Care Community truly is a Campus of Care!