Rededication ceremony held at Village De Memoire

A rededication ceremony at the Village De Memoire Wednesday, July 23, marked the completion of a $2.5 million, eight month renovation of the facility, involving offices and 114 residential units.
The project also upgraded energy efficient windows and appliances and some fully equipped handicapped accessible units for some of the more than 120 residents of the facility.
The residential facility is managed by Elderly Housing Development & Operations Corporation (EHDOC), headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It operates 10 affordable and secure residential facilities for the elderly in Louisiana, including Chateau des Amis in Ville Platte.
EHDOC also manages a total of 57 elderly residential facilities in 13 other states and Puerto Rico. The corporation also “advocates at all levels of government in promoting independent living and life enrichment for seniors,” according to its web site.
Steve Protulis, EHDOC executive director, said during Wednesday’s rededication ceremonies that he hopes an additional 40 residential units will be added to Village De Memooire.
Protulis, a former AFL-CIO presidential assistant and executive director of the National Council of Senior Citizens, told the audience at the rededication ceremony the federal government is cutting budgets that support housing and nutritional programs for the elderly. “To me, it’s a crime,” he said. “We need to keep the heat on our politicians.”
Protulis also urged the audience, mostly residents of Village De Memoire, to make sure they involve themselves in the political process or at least vote. He said the elderly are a powerful political force. “Every eight seconds someone in the U.S. turns 65.”
The EHDOC executive director said the renovation project was completed without relocating residents to hotels or other facilities.
Also speaking during the rededication ceremonies were state Representative Bernard LeBas, Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel and representatives from U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and U.S. Senator David Vitter’s offices, and Ville Platte City Councilman Mike Perron.