Our Mission
To provide seniors housing with services in a gracious community that promotes independence for individuals with limited resources.
Home · About
About the FoundationSixty years of welcome.
A small idea in 1965 — that retirement should not mean isolation — became a community of fifty-plus neighbors looking out for one another.
1965
Our Founders
Roland & Elsie Olmsted
Caldsted Foundation was established in 1965 by Roland and Elsie Olmsted to support retired individuals of modest financial means. The name Caldsted joins their two surnames — a quiet tribute, and a reminder of where this began.
Today, more than fifty residents live independently here in Brainerd. Caldsted is not an assisted-living facility; residents are ambulatory and self-sufficient, and the community gives them everything else: meals, housekeeping, transportation, and good neighbors.
What guides us
Mission, vision, values.
Our Vision
That no senior should have to choose between essentials. Healthy living, with dignity, in good company.
Our Philosophy
Mutual support, community spirit, quality service, efficiency, integrity, compassion, and respect — every day, in every interaction.
Leadership
Meet our Executive Director.
Executive Director
Joanna L. King
Joanna L. King serves as Executive Director of the Caldsted Foundation, leading day-to-day operations of the Chattanooga senior-living community founded in 1965 by Roland and Elsie Olmsted. The office welcomes visitors Monday through Friday, 8am to 3:30pm.
Eligibility, in brief
Who Caldsted is for.
Independent living for adults of limited means. Detailed eligibility and fee information is on the waiting list page.
- Minimum age
- 65 years
- Asset limit
- Under $400,000 (individual or couple)
- Annual income
- Below $50,000 individual · $60,000 couple
- Entrance fee
- $5,000 per person, one-time
- Monthly service fee
- 35% of gross Social Security income · $430 minimum
- Included in fee
- Twenty meals weekly, housekeeping, utilities, maintenance, transportation, laundry
No qualified individual will be excluded from participation in, or the benefits of, the programs or activities administered by the Caldsted Foundation Inc., solely based on race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, familial status, age, disability, or any other class protected under state or federal law.— Fair Housing Commitment
Ready to learn more?
Tour our gallery, see life at Caldsted, or join one of our waiting lists.