A Proud History

The non-profit, faith based WEL communities of today trace their roots back to 1888 in Northeast Philadelphia, with the German Home for the Aged, which was formed by the Evangelical Association of Churches. In 1930 our founding community became known as Evangelical Manor, a full service continuing care retirement community for the residents of Northeast Philadelphia. By 1975, the Evangelical Manor Foundation (now known as the Wesley Enhanced Living Foundation) was created as an independent organization to accept, invest, and distribute financial gifts for our communities. It was not until the 1980’s that our organization began to branch out and assume management of additional retirement communities in Philadelphia and suburban Pennsylvania. By 1989 Evangelical Services for the Aging (ESA) was formed in affiliation with the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church as a new corporation to oversee our communities.

In 2004 we embarked on a long range initiative to remake our organization. We began by radically changing our governance structure, adopting a new name: Wesley Enhanced Living, and creating a vision, mission, and service approach for the organization. Our vision: to create a new paradigm of aging services for the next generation challenges us to think differently about what we do everyday; Our mission: To make a compelling difference in the lives of our residents through providing excellence and innovation in aging services guides us; and; Our enhanced living approach: to create an environment of possibilities that sparks the imagination of each individual to rediscover his or her purpose or fulfillment is changing the way we serve our residents.

Today Wesley Enhanced Living has grown to include eight communities, serving approximately 1,200 residents with over 800 employees – totalling nearly $60 million in annual revenue. The Wesley Enhanced Living communities are located in the cities and suburbs of Pennsylvania: in the Pennypack Park, Burholme and Germantown areas of Philadelphia, and in the suburbs and Pocono Mountain area to include Doylestown, Upper Moreland, and Brodheadsville. Additionally, Manor Glen and Meadow House, located in Philadelphia, provide subsidized housing for aging adults.

Wesley Enhanced Living has a long and rich past and an exciting future in aging services. We invite you to learn more about living and working in our communities.