How do you take a 20-year legacy of success and put it into a "Minute of Farmingdale History?" When it comes to our Hardscrabble Senior housing complex dwelling in the heart of our village, it becomes a challenge.

The concept of affordable housing for seniors in Farmingdale was born out of the vision and previous, positive experience of Reverend Ralph J. Morgan of the Farmingdale United Methodist Church. He had already seen the completion of a HUD subsidized housing project in Peekskill, NY, and, with that accomplishment, initiated the idea to accommodate very low and low moderate income seniors in Farmingdale.

On Sept. 23, 1982, through the persistent and diligent efforts of Congressman Gregory Carman, a federal loan totaling just more than $4 million was granted to the Village of Farmingdale to build an 80-unit senior citizen housing complex which became known as Hardscrabble Apartments. A coalition group of Farmingdale churches - namely, Farmingdale United Methodist Church, St. Kilian's Roman Catholic Church, St. Luke's Lutheran Church and St. Thomas Episcopal Church along with the Farmingdale Jewish Center, had formed an ecumenical corporation, were the recipients of the federal loan and hereafter were known as the Farmingdale Housing Development Corporation. To this date this board of religious benefactors continues to vigorously support Hardscrabble Apartments.

Farmingdale Mayor John T. Hallahan was initially involved in this project but by the time of the groundbreaking on July 11, 1984, Mayor Willis B. Carman Jr., had taken office. From the onset John E. Gillies was actively involved as Village of Farmingdale attorney and Reverend Ralph J. Morgan of Farmingdale United Methodist Church as president of the Farmingdale Housing Development Corporation.

Eligibility for housing means being age 62 or over or handicapped or disabled and meeting income cut-off guidelines. A lottery system was used originally to select tenants from a long list of applicants and most were from Farmingdale. Since then, eligible seniors living anywhere need to contact our Hempstead management office to receive an application. Approved applications are numbered in numerical order as received. We have a waiting list of three to five years.

Aside from factual historical insights there is a human history to Hardscrabble Apartments that we celebrate on this 20th anniversary. Hardscrabble seniors have proven time and again that age can be ageless, life can be renewed at any age and life can remain a growing experience into one's later years. The bonds of new friendships have broken the chains of loneliness. Some have taken on new lifestyles, met new challenges both intellectually and physically, found opportunities to serve others and discovered ways to work together for a common good. Through our Tenants Association new ideas and programs have been developed which provide educational, recreational, cultural, health-oriented and personal growth opportunities.

My dream is that someday the alone and forgotten seniors living out there in our communities will be the recipients of all the blessings found at Hardscrabble Apartments.