Former Pennsylvania Governor George M. Leader approached his work in a deliberate manner: identify a need, find a practical way to address it and keep going until the obstacles are solved. Ecumenical Retirement Community began in much the same way.
In this case, the need was high-quality yet affordable retirement homes for older adults who required assisted care. “My father set out to offer quality assisted living to seniors at a more affordable cost,” explains his son, Michael Leader, Executive Chairman of Ecumenical Retirement Community.
Gov. Leader believed a not-for-profit model could help make that possible. By establishing Ecumenical as a 501(c)(3), the organization could avoid certain federal and state income taxes, as well as sales and property taxes, allowing more resources to be directed toward residents and their care.
The name was intentional. “The name ‘Ecumenical’ reflects his hope of serving people without regard to their faith, race or ethnicity,” Michael notes. “It would be ecumenical in outreach and service.”
That idea of being open to everyone was not simply part of the original mission statement. It shaped where George Leader wanted affordable retirement homes to be built and whom he hoped it would serve.
Finding the right home
Gov. Leader began looking for a location in Harrisburg and the surrounding suburbs, hoping to find a site that was accessible to a broad and diverse population.
He found one in Susquehanna Township. The property had easy access from Progress Avenue and Union Deposit Road, while still feeling removed from traffic and noise. Woods and an established residential neighborhood gave the site a quieter, more protected setting.
It seemed right for the community of affordable retirement homes that he had in mind. But there was only one problem: the zoning.
The complication stretched back to 1920, when a subdivision plan had been recorded for the land. The plan included several streets that were never built. Over time, individual home sites had been purchased along those “paper” streets, creating legal rights that still existed decades later.
Before the Ecumenical project could proceed, every affected property owner had to be located and asked to relinquish those rights. “My dad and several colleagues trekked throughout the neighborhood seeking these signatures,” Michael recalled.
It was painstaking work, and it took months. Eventually, the old subdivision plan was extinguished, clearing the way to seek zoning approval from Susquehanna Township.
“Seeing the vision and value of affordable retirement homes, township officials welcomed the project with open arms,” Michael said. “When the work required people to knock on doors and track down property owners, he was hands on, and joined in.”
Building something new
Securing the site was only part of the challenge. The financing model was unusual as well. With the assistance of Harrisburg banker John Rhodes, Ecumenical secured HUD financing through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), the state’s affordable housing agency. The affordable retirement homes of Ecumenical became the first assisted living community ever sponsored by PHFA.
The ambition went beyond one building. The hope was that Ecumenical could demonstrate that high-quality assisted living could also be affordable, and perhaps serve as a model for similar communities elsewhere in Pennsylvania.
But before construction could begin, there was another significant hurdle. At least half of the apartments had to be leased in advance. That meant that prospective residents were being asked to consider a then-new [MB1.1]level of senior living without a finished building, a model apartment or much precedent to help them picture what life there would be like.
After six months of marketing, not a single apartment had been leased. Then Tom Baker joined Ecumenical as marketing director. He visited churches, senior centers and prospective residents in their homes, often working six and seven days a week.
“His enthusiasm and conviction that life would be better for residents in affordable retirement homes at Ecumenical was contagious,” Michael points out. “Within six months, the number of leases surpassed the 50 percent requirement.”
From an idea to a community
Gov. George Leader sitting with residents on a patio at Ecumenical Retirement Community, 2026
Ecumenical Retirement Community opened its doors in 1994. Looking back, Michael describes the founding as a series of practical challenges that had to be worked through one by one: finding the right property, untangling decades-old land records, securing unusual financing and convincing people to believe in a community that did not yet exist.
“It took the vision and hard work of many people to bring Ecumenical Retirement Community into being,” Michael said. “For its founder, my father, it is undoubtedly one of his proudest achievements.”
More than three decades later, the original idea remains recognizable: create a place where older adults can receive quality care at a reasonable cost, where people from different backgrounds are equally welcome and where community is more than a word in the organization’s name.
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