Aging

Enterprise Community Partners provides extensive housing assistance to older adults.  Their portfolio includes more than 30,000 rental homes, worth a total of $1.7 billion of investments in quality of life and well-being for this target group.  Their efforts encompass both financial and operational solutions to senior housing owners so that they may, comfortably and affordably, maintain their current residence.

NeighborWorks America is a member-based organization with 237 members working in more than 2,700 urban, suburban, and rural communities.  Members consist of nonprofit community-based organizations that focus on community revitalization and production of affordable housing for lower-income people. Nationally, the organization has two agendas that focus on or are related to aging adults.  These programs involve civic engagement and housing.  With regard to civic engagement, the group holds a conference called Community Leadership Institute Seminar in a new location each year.   This conference, or seminar, has many different talking points, one of which is titled Growing in Grace and Wisdom: Tapping the Strength of Seniors in Your Community.   This workshop explores ways to work with seniors and how to benefit from their talents and skills while helping them learn how to age in place.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) encourages its 1,500 member organizations to institute programs for seniors through the publication of research reports, collaboration with other organizations, production of webinars, promotion of case studies, and the provision of other resources, such as those found in the “Older Americans Outreach Toolkit.” 

“Aging in Place ” and “Green Living” might seem like an unlikely pairing. However, advocates from both camps have found many commonalities between the two.  Aging today is not solely an issue of health and finances; the issue of aging has developed into so much more than that because of drastic increases in life expectancy over the past century.  Unfortunately, poorly designed elder communities unfairly isolate individuals because of their age or capacity.  As a result, these auto-dependent communities create barriers for older individuals, but also create barriers to healthy living and civic engagement for all individuals.  

Eighty million members of the boomer generation (born between 1946–1964) have reached or are approaching the traditional retirement age of 65. These boomers overwhelmingly want to age in place. Yet few communities are prepared to meet the needs of older residents, or to engage these residents in civic life.

In response, the Center for Civic Partnerships created Aging Well in Communities: A Toolkit for Planning, Engagement & Action.