For Westchester Seniors, Rental Options From Wartburg Adult Care Community ON a fixed income, Antonio and Nan LaGuidice struggle to meet the $1,700-a-month rent for their two-bedroom apartment in New Rochelle, and the costs of doctor visits, cancer treatments and medication that Mrs. LaGuidice, 72, requires. The couple, who share their place with an adult daughter, manage only by cutting costs so close to the bone that Mr. LaGuidice, 90, a former building superintendent and school bus driver who needs a hearing aid, cannot spare the money for one. "We're stretched way beyond our limit financially and don't know which way to turn," said Mrs. LaGuidice, explaining that even with Medicare, the co-payments on their mounting medical needs are straining their resources to the point that they now need to sharply reduce their housing costs. One promising lead on a way to do that has come from the Wartburg Adult Care Community, a Mount Vernon facility that began as an orphanage in 1866 and started serving the elderly in 1972. Among other things, it has 31 cottages designed for independent living and rented at market rate, as well as a dementia center and a nursing home, on 36 acres. But the LaGuidices are particularly interested in one of the Wartburg's new projects, financed by a state grant of $27.59 million, which include an expanded effort to help older people remain in their homes, as well as 60 units of affordable housing and a new day care center for the elderly. The money is part of a first round of state grants awarded under the Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law, totaling $150 million, announced in 2010 and destined for nine adult care organizations in New York. The Wartburg's grant is the third-largest in the state and one of two awarded in Westchester County. United Hebrew of New Rochelle received $2.5 million, and will use the money to help pay for a dementia care unit. The largest award, $33,975,508, was given to Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, Jefferson County, for a variety of construction projects. In all, $450 million will be available "to eliminate excess bed capacity and reduce overreliance on inpatient care in hospitals and nursing homes," according to the state Department of Health. The intent is to reduce state Medicaid costs. The new units at the Wartburg, scheduled to open early next year, will benefit people like Mr. and Mrs. LaGuidice and Norine Christian, 68, a Mount Vernon resident who shares a cramped rent-controlled two-bedroom apartment with her 3-year-old grandson and a son and daughter-in-law, both of whom recently lost their jobs. Ms. Christian, a retired postal clerk, says she can barely carry the costs for all of them on her pension of $2,600 a month. Her landlord has informed her that the rent on the apartment, now $850 a month, will increase as soon as the housing no longer falls under rent-control guidelines. She is not sure when that will be, but two-bedroom units newly rented in her building go for $1,700 and up. Both Mr. and Mrs. LaGuidice and Ms. Christian are typical of those who will very likely apply to move to the Wartburg's apartments. The Wartburg will officially start accepting applications for the units later this year, according to David Gentner, its president. The units, which will be ready for residents early next year, will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, although factors like income eligibility will be considered, he said. Mr. and Mrs. LaGuidice, for example, would pay about $775 for a one-bedroom unit; the amount reflects the fact that their current income is 40 percent of the area's median of $86,350 for a family of two, said Ryan Herchenroether, director of planning. For them, the reduction in rent will mean "more money to put gas in the car so we can visit family, get to our doctors and catch up on our bills," Mrs. LaGuidice said. Her husband, she added, may now be able to get a hearing aid. Ms. Christian said she was looking forward to having a place of her own. "I need a little room for myself and freedom from all this responsibility," she said. Nancy Davis, a spokeswoman for the Wartburg, explained that even though many older adults have pressing medical needs and require assistance with daily tasks, "that does not necessarily mean they are ready for a nursing home." One alternative is represented in the Wartburg's new affordable units, the other in its adult day care center, which is to begin construction in the next few months. The elderly are often better served, Ms. Davis said, if they can remain at home, taking advantage of the center and receiving help from social workers on a range of services, including eviction prevention. James W. Clyne Jr., the president of LeadingAge New York, a nonprofit advocacy organization near Albany, applauded the emphasis on helping more older adults live as independently as possible. Of the Wartburg's plans for affordable housing, he said, "We're hoping for more projects like this." That is precisely the direction the Wartburg is heading in, said Mr. Gentner, explaining that it was establishing a development corporation to fill the need for more such housing throughout southern Westchester County. "For us," Mr. Gentner said, "this first project is just the beginning."