Casey’s Pond, a senior living community in the mountain resort town of Steamboat Springs, CO, is offering free housing as an incentive to draw certified nursing assistants to work temporarily for up to four weeks.
“What we’re trying to do is overcome that barrier to make sure we have the staff that can provide the services we promised,” Executive Director Brad Boatright told the local NBC News affiliate.
Casey’s Pond is home to about 100 residents and needs approximately 130 people in various roles to keep things running smoothly. The life plan community (also known as a continuing care retirement community) offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation care, as well as respite stays. The community ranked ninth last year on Fortune’s list of 25 Best Small and Medium Workplaces in Aging Services: Senior Housing and Care.
The idea behind the free housing for CNAs is to keep the community fully staffed during the labor shortage while affording direct care workers a short-time opportunity to get away from their normal lives and experience resort-town living. Housing in the resort town can run more than $2,000 a month.
“We’re looking at creating temp opportunities here where someone can come up [for] three days, stay, enjoy Steamboat, go back home [and] have their time. And then begin to have a relationship here at Casey’s Pond,” Boatright said.
In addition to free housing and minimum pay of $18 per hour, CNAs will earn a differential of 10% for as-needed shifts, discounted meals and guaranteed hours. Casey’s Pond also has skiing and hiking opportunities nearby that might be attractive to short-timers.
