Victoria, Kansas has proven what’s possible when a town of 1,129 neighbors unite in a mission to create affordable senior housing. Their collective efforts helped transform a dilapidated former rest home into what is now St. John’s Place, a senior living community for residents 55 and older. The development was spearheaded by Victoria’s Jeff Pfeifer, Nancy Piatt, Marilyn Braun, Brenda Dreiling, and Jim Dreiling, who began the journey by forming the Victoria Community Coalition nonprofit. Next, they got to work applying for grants, rallying volunteers, and encouraging donations on the path to manifesting their vision.
Coalition chairperson Brenda Dreiling recalls the first community meeting that Pfeifer held to discuss plans for repurposing the building after being purchased by the city. “The big thing at the time was housing. We had like five or six people that said, ‘Yes, we’d sell our homes and move into something like that,’” she says. Seniors who now call St. Johns Place home have indeed freed up single-family homes in the area for new families that want to establish their roots in Victoria, unlocking an important step in the housing life cycle.
Brenda Dreiling, chairperson of the Victoria Community Coalition, involved the whole community in their fundraising efforts. “Brenda pounded the streets asking for donations. We put a big thermometer up downtown and more people started donating,” said Braun. The coalition saved on costs by recruiting 150 to 200 volunteers to help with the demolition and sold old building materials, including copper wire from the gutted building to raise a total of $56,000. Other community members raised money by volunteering their time to cook and sell their culinary specialties at various events, garnering an additional $10,000. Preorders for Dreiling’s wildly popular popcorn balls were the bestsellers by far, with more than 30,000 sold.
A crucial award, $590,000 granted by the Patterson Family Foundation, paid for a new roof. “That was the frosting on the cake,” says Braun. “We couldn’t get insurance unless we replaced the roof on the entire building.” Additional support was provided by layered housing grants, funded in part by a $650,000 state-funded Moderate Income Housing (MIH) award and 360,000 in Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credits (KHITC) administered by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC).
On December 2, 2025, KHRC’s Executive Director, Ryan Vincent, celebrated with the Victoria community during the St. John’s Place Grand Opening. Thanks to the coalition’s Herculean efforts, 12 more spacious homes exist for Victoria seniors, complete with walk-in showers and maintenance-free living. Residents benefit from a community atmosphere fostered by shared gathering spaces and onsite laundry areas. St. John’s Place shares the building space with the Ellis County Historical Society. Future plans for the building include adding a childcare facility, coffee & pastry shop, a senior center, and office space. More recently, St. John’s Place was granted additional funding to construct garages for residents.
Dreiling remembers, “The Mayor stood in the hallway during the first open house and just looked and looked and said, ‘this is amazing.’ We had people from Hays who said, ‘this is beautiful, much nicer than where we’re at.’” Beyond the value provided by homes’ physical beauty, the coalition continues to foster a community atmosphere.
Social opportunities abound for residents, which enhances their quality of life. “We do coffee gatherings twice a month, we do game days. We’re getting people from surrounding areas, and we just need to build on that. We have food trucks on game days; that has gone great. We had two families from town that donated money for picnic tables,” Dreiling points out.
For other communities looking for inspiration in the affordable housing realm, Dreiling shares her wisdom: “If you want something like this for your community, you must do the work. It’s a commitment. We are going to keep striving and keep working.”
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The state’s housing development programs, including the MIH and KHITC programs, are administered by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), a self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation committed to helping Kansans access the safe, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency, administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.