Partners’ Aging in Place Initiative
Following the Ellicott City conference, through the auspices of the Honorable Mel Martinez, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Partners began developing a national laboratory program to work in several communities. Partners and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) collaborated on the project and solicited the International City and County Management Association (ICMA), Governing magazine, the Surface Transportation Coalition, AARP, the AccessAbility Program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the Office of Smart Growth of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to aid the two organizations in developing a broader awareness beyond the wellness agenda.
In 2004, Partners and n4a selected nine cities and began an 18-month work program. The communities ranged from Martinsville, VA; Battle Creek, MI; Jacksonville, FL; to Rochester, NY and were as diverse in assets and challenges as they are geographically. Partners not only supported their efforts but enhanced their understanding of how to address the issue of Aging in Place, given the other complexities and concerns facing communities across America.
In 2006, with support from MetLife Foundation, Partners, n4a collaborated with ICMA, the National Association of Counties and the National League of Cities to conduct a survey of the nation’s cities and counties to determine how they were addressing the needs of their aging populations. The report from this survey, The Maturing of America: Getting Communities on Track for an Aging Population, found that less than half of American communities have begun planning to address the needs of the exploding population of aging baby boomers.
To help those communities that have begun the journey and those yet to take the first step, Partners and n4a joined again with additional support from MetLife Foundation to produce a comprehensive toolkit, A Blueprint for Action: Developing Livable Communities for All Ages. The Blueprint, released in May 2007, is the most comprehensive community Aging in Place guide published to date and has been well-received by Partners’ entire network of communities and organizations.
Even better, Partners and n4a took the Blueprint on the road to 12 community workshops across the country—each focused on a specific theme—where civic leaders and aging professionals discussed local needs and action. In an effort to kindle smaller steps among an array of community organizations, "JumpStart the Conversation" grants were awarded in each community where a workshop was convened. The purpose of these grants was to award innovative ideas on aging and livabilityy and provide seed money to partnering organizations to talk about what they could do together.
The most recent component of this partnership is an Aging in Place Outreach campaign where Partners is building on the experience of the Survey, the Blueprint and the 12 workshops. During 2010, the team will launch a comprehensive outreach, media and marketing campaign compromised of a variety of elements; create an Aging in Place Resource Center; and develop a process to reach key stakeholder regarding the imperative of taking action. This outreach campaign will focus on building public awareness among key civic leaders of the opportunity the growing older demographic presents for developing more livable communities for all ages.
