North Adams, MA

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025

Project Category: Housing Choice Design Competitions

Description: The North Adams Partnership seeks funding for an ADU design competition to address the housing needs of residents age 50 and over. The competition will create affordable housing options, allowing older adults to downsize while staying connected to their community.

Castleton-on-Hudson, NY

AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018

Project Category: Public space activation

Description: The Village of Castleton-on-Hudson regularly hosts a Repair Cafe event, where volunteers repaired any item brought to them, if possible. One problem: the event takes place on the second floor of a Village Hall, which has no elevator. This posed an accessibility issue -- locals often complained about climbing the building's difficult staircase. To solve this, the Village moved its Repair Cafe to Noyes Engine House. They also worked to activate a vacant lot next door, installing a community bulletin board, benches and planters onsite. The improvements support wider efforts to revitalize the village's downtown, with the goal of drawing more people to the central business district.