About Us

Augustine House is operated by the Augustine House Society, a Non-Profit Society created in November of 1992 from members of the Knights of Columbus Council 7916. Augustine House was completed and opened in August 2003.

Vision:

To be a centre of excellence, with a diverse range of independent and assisted living services as well as care, meeting the needs of seniors.

Mission:

Our mission is to provide an optimal level of resident support and care in an efficient and economical manner within the policy framework, standards and resources available.

Philosophy:

At Augustine House we believe:

that our fundamental concern is a quest for excellence in the provision of accommodation, services and care for our residents;
in respect for the dignity and worth of individuals, be they residents, families, employees or other service providers;
that individuals have the right to accommodation and to receive services and care based on their unique needs and clinical diagnosis, regardless of creed, race, sex, sexual orientation, or religion;
that it is the responsibility of all involved to make every effort to ensure all residents receive the best possible service and care, with the utmost skill and efficiency, and with the greatest of personal consideration and tenderness;
that the health of an individual is holistic and includes physical, emotional, spiritual and social well-being;
that residents must be afforded personal and informational privacy;
in evaluating the quality of services and care on an ongoing basis;
in the proper accountability and prudent expenditure of Society funds;
that long-range planning is an integral part of the organization, and necessary to accurately meet the needs of seniors;
that we should co-operate, promote and assist any other agencies with similar objectives in furthering services and care for seniors;
that the quality of services and care for seniors is related to the improvement of services achieved through education and research;
that as a major employer and consumer of goods and services, we are responsible to practice sound corporate citizenship through community and professional involvement and progressive employee relations programs.

Augustine House from Conception to Completion

Among the many achievements which Sacred Heart parishioners can be proud of, is Augustine House, a most comfortable home for seniors, completed in July 2003. As with many other fine buildings providing needed services, the path from its beginning with an idea to its completion many years later was not an easy one. We are indebted to members of Council 7916 Knights of Columbus for instituting the Augustine House Senior Citizens Society which led to the completion of Augustine House after thirteen years of meetings, planning, patience and persistence.

On November 5, 1990, a group of members of Sacred Heart Parish Council 7916 Knights of Columbus, identifying itself as the Augustine House Senior Citizens Society, held its first meeting with its ultimate goal to provide a comfortable home for seniors on parish grounds. Present at the first meeting were President Lou Jordan, Vice-President Len Tater, Secretary Alex Soroka, Treasurer, John Smart, Dave Martin and Terry Conlan. At the meeting the name of the organization became the Augustine House Society. It was agreed that Augustine House would be a non-profit and non-denominational facility.

With the many meetings and in the face of the rejections of the Agricultural Land Commission, the Augustine House Society remained persistent and resilient. They did not abandon plans for the senior’s residence that they felt was vital to the community. Their persistence was rewarded on receipt of a letter of December 16, 1999 from the Agricultural Land Commission advising the Augustine House Society that the Commission had reconsidered the application and approved release of the land which had never been farmed from the Agricultural Land Commission.

A final obstacle before the Society could proceed with its plans was cleared in January 2001. Alex Soroka submitted a full description of plans for Augustine House to Mayor Jackson and Delta Council hoping for approval of Delta Council.

When Delta Council voted to approve the Society’s application to construct Augustine House, we can imagine how the Society must have felt after its years of planning, meetings and submissions for approval that it could finally say, “Let the construction begin!”

Prior to approval of Augustine House construction by Delta Council, another problem stood in the way of the plans for the senior citizens home. The convent used by the Sisters of Notre Dame since it was built in 1936 with wood from the McNeely general store in Ladner was considered to be a heritage home. It was hoped that the home could be preserved by moving it to another site. The home was put up for sale at a price of $1, but the cost of moving it was estimated between $50,000 and $70,000. More than 60 people considered the purchase, but none were willing to incur the costs of relocation. Finally, permission was granted to demolish the convent, but most of the high quality wood was salvaged.

Augustine House Construction

On February 15, 2002, a sod turning ceremony was held on what would be the site of Augustine House. Taking part in the ceremony were Augustine Society President Leonard Tater, Vice-President Alex Soroka, Delta South MLA Val Roddick, Mayor Lois Jackson, and Father Allan Charnon of Sacred Heart parish.

Augustine House was completed in July of 2003 and opened as a retirement residence for 127 residents in August 2003, two years after the sod turning and nearly 14 years after the Knights of Columbus became committed to building a home for seniors.

For better retirement living Augustine House is focused on comfort for seniors. It is in a beautiful setting, bordering the monastery and close to the church and school. In addition to its 102 suites there are 20 assisted living suites, part of the Independent Living British Columbia program which subsidizes both the accommodation portion from B.C. Housing and the personal assistance component from the Fraser Health Region. The East Wing also offers a separate, secured area with 13 residents requiring 24 hr. professional nursing care. Additional accommodations and services include a dining room, activity room, games room, fireside lounges with entertainment centre, library, an ice cream parlour, billiard and games room, craft room, activity room for meetings or fitness classes, hair salon and barber shop, garden club, shuttle bus for shopping, outings, complimentary laundry facilities on each floor, dry cleaning pick-up and delivery, individual mail boxes, and parking for residents and visitors. As home to 150 seniors, Augustine House also offers short stay accommodation including respite care and a guest suite.