Mike Grabenstein was the pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church and Faith Presbyterian Church in Hayden when an opening came up at Coeur d'Alene Senior Living.

A director was needed for the facilities, and since Grabenstein was already on the nonprofit's board, some suggested he apply.

He did.

"Out of 60 candidates, they chose me. I had no background in any of that government stuff, business or anything," he said with a laugh.

Eleven years later, he is still there, overseeing the campus near U.S. 95 and Northwest Boulevard that offers subsidized senior housing and assisted living, Alzheimer's care. Heritage Place today has 154 units; Coeur d'Alene homes, 69.

His responsibility is great.

"I don't think there's going to be a time when we won't have a need for this kind of housing, not just up here in Coeur d'Alene, but the whole United States," Grabenstein said.

The former director of the Community Action Partnership Food Bank was born and raised in Lexington, Ky., and grew up in Omaha, Neb., the son and middle child of Tony and Fran Grabenstein.

His parents were middle class.

"My dad was an electrician, my mom was a homemaker until later in life. I never wanted for anything. We hear this again and again, people my age, we didn't know that we didn't have anything because we had everything we needed," he said.

His parents taught him early to respect his elders - and care for them, too.

"They were hard workers. We were members of a Lutheran church in Omaha, and back in the 1950s and 60s that's where your community was. All of our friends were from the church and your neighborhood you grew up in."

That same philosophy applies today with Grabenstein as he leads Coeur d'Alene Senior Living.

"We have a larger purpose, larger focus, larger reason, for being here," he said.

It's about the people.

How are things going for you these days?

It's been going very well. I think it's been a good fit for me and for the organization. We've been able to do some things over the last five years. We've built two new senior housing complexes on that campus, been able to provide better service for our residents because of that. It's a good organization. It's been around for 90 years, it's made up of 25 corporate churches and it works really well. We have a terrific board and good support from the churches.

What does it take to do your job well?

I think you have to take the larger perspective, not get run over by the minutia and the details. Be at 30,000 feet, rather than as someone said, in the weeds.

Key is to find good staff and we have excellent staff and supervisors. People have to feel called to come and work here, basically. Not everybody wants to do that kind of work. It's a calling for them. It's a calling from God. You have to have a heart to work with vulnerable populations.

How does someone qualify to live here?

Heritage Place is based simply on your income. So if you have an income that is below those guidelines of $30,000 or $19,000 and you're 62 years of age, then you can qualify to live there.

Coeur d'Alene Homes is basically if you're on Medicaid or private pay, there was no government subsidy there. With Heritage Place, there is subsidy, it pays about a third of their rent. Your rents are extremely low for some of the residents. Some of the residents in phase 3 are paying like $130 a month for rent, which includes their utilities. It's an absolutely wonderful program the government has for seniors.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

There's a number of things, but I think No. 1, we have an impact in the lives of people who would not have a quality, safe, secure place to live without that housing.

I like going to work with my staff. We have a lot of fun, and the commitment of the board, the churches, the staff, to provide quality care to people who are in some respect the vulnerable of our society.

What are your challenges?

Trying to please everybody. Everybody has a different idea of what they need and what they deserve and what they should have. It's always trying to balance that. We can't provide everything, we try to do what we can to give good food, good housing, security, and take care of the basic needs. The challenge in going forward is whether there's going to be funding for that.

With the economy and the country the way it is, there's no telling.

You've got all these baby boomers coming on, going into retirement, and a number of them don't have the kind of resources to sustain themselves. This kind of housing is going to be critical going forward.

Who knows what Congress and the administration is going to do with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, all those things, trying to get the budget and deficit in line.

How was the transition from pastor to administrator?

It was a perfect fit. In some ways, I moved from a parish into a larger parish. People have the same needs that come to me, we talk.

Does your background as a pastor help you working with clients?

Absolutely, just working with people, dealing with people, they'll bring an issue to you, but there's always something behind it. Maybe that they just discovered they have cancer or something. I think the gifts that I have, I'm able to get them to talk, to acknowledge there's a problem but to hear them talk about what the issue is and where the pressure is. It's not counseling so much, just seeing where people are, seeing underneath the facade.

What do you find seniors need and want?

I don't think they're any different than anybody else. They want to be respected and loved. Certainly, they need a place to live. But I think with the baby boomers, they're going to come on loud and strong. They won't be put in a corner. For that greatest generation, they don't tend to stand out, they don't tend to make a lot of noise. But there's still that need and want to be respected to be cared for and loved and listened to. I do a lot of listening.

What's ahead for you?

My dream would be to go back and get a degree in archeology when I retire. It's kind of a bucket list thing. I see myself being engaged in whatever, I'm not one who can sit still. I have to be challenged in doing things. There's a book I'm reading about a woman who's been doing some studies on that. The baby boomers are waiting to be challenged, they're not going to sit by and just let life pass them by. They're going to find new ways to be adventurous and engage life. That's what I feel like. I feel like life is just beginning.

Mike Grabenstein

Date of birth: Feb. 6, 1947

Education: Bachelor of science in education from Morehead State and master's of divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa

Family: Three children

Number of hours on average you work in a week: 45

Number of hours on average you sleep in a night: 7

Hobbies: Gardening, reading, antiques

Favorite movie: "The Mission"

Favorite book: I'm reading Bill Moyer's journals right now.

Favorite type of music: All kinds

Favorite spectator sport: Soccer, baseball

Any one thing you consider your greatest accomplishment: My children.

Quality you admire most in a person: The ability to forgive

Best advice you ever received: You can't steal second with your foot on first.

One person who most influenced your life: No, I've been influenced by a lot of people.