An organization that helps seniors stay in their homes and helps adults with permanent physical disabilities with the activities of daily living has officially opened its new headquarters.

“It’s easy to access, it’s bright, it’s cheerful,” local MPP Liz Sandals remarked at an open house event Friday at Guelph Independent Living’s new second-floor offices at 255 Woodlawn Rd. W., near Woodlawn Bowl.

“You really do provide a lot of services that are crucial to the community,” Sandals said of the 37-year-old organization, which runs several community programs.

The work the agency does fits well with the provincial government’s health-care directions, Sandals said. “The more that people can live independently, albeit with some assistance, the better it is for individuals and for society.”

Guelph Independent Living has over 85 full- and part-time staff, including 12 administrators who are now all under one roof at the new location.

The agency runs the Assisted Living, Attendant Outreach, Home Help, Seniors’ Assisted Living and Seniors’ Supported Living programs. It also owns and maintains Willow Place, an 83-unit affordable housing complex that also serves as an assisted living site, a news release said.

The agency “recognizes the importance of the inclusion and acceptance of its clients within the community and strives to reduce barriers limiting their full integration with its recreation and inclusion program,” the release said.