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Gibson Center For Senior Services with Age-Friendly Mount Washington Valley (2023) Print
2023 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Lifelong housing and accessibility
└ Lifelong housing and accessibility
The Gibson Center and its partners hosted a Safe and Smart Home Expo to help older adults explore practical ways to age in place. The event featured the "Smart Home on Wheels" as well as demonstrations of adaptive devices, safety checklists and universal design concepts. Hundreds of visitors learned about affordable technology, with one exhibitor noting, "Visitors were excited to hear how affordable and easy to use smart plugs are." The expo sparked ongoing conversations about livable housing and inspired plans for future demonstrations.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
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Akron, OH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: Summit County's housing crisis leaves families and older adults spending much of their income on shelter, limiting stability and aging in place. Habitat began building Silver Maple Ridge, a 16-home development with features like single-story layouts and blocking for grab bars. The project engaged more than 400 volunteers age 50-plus and educated 32 partner families. Three homes were completed and three more nearly so, and the effort prompted Akron's first new park in 40 years, adding green space for residents while creating long-term affordable housing.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Bowdoinham, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: Facing a shortage of accessible housing, the town created a plain-language guide to promote Universal Design-an approach that makes homes safer and easier for all ages. The 12-page brochure explains practical ideas for remodeling and new construction, from lever-style door handles to first-floor accessible baths. Older residents shared stories and feedback during development, ensuring relevance. Distributed at community events and local businesses, the guide is shaping housing conversations and influencing future plans. One resident noted it offers "simple and often inexpensive ways" to make homes welcoming for everyone.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Omaha, NE
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: Older adults in Omaha need housing that supports independence and accessibility. The Sustainable Small House project demonstrates how ADA-compliant, energy-efficient homes can meet these needs. The house was relocated to the UNO campus and prepared for features like a swing-away sink, voice-controlled shower and wheelchair-level washer/dryer. Once complete, it will host public tours to showcase smart, accessible design. "The SSH can provide a significant solution to the residential sector," said project leaders.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
North Conway, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: Engaging residents in vibrant public places
Description: Older adults in the rural North Conway community often faced isolation and limited access to programs that support healthy eating and social connection, especially for those living alone or on fixed incomes. Pope Memorial Library addressed this gap by building a fully functioning kitchen within its meeting space, allowing food-centered programs to take place on site rather than relying on meals prepared elsewhere. The kitchen supported nutrition education, shared meals and hands-on cooking classes that lowered barriers to participation. By cooking and eating together, older adults built routines around gathering and learning, not just attending events. Anchoring these programs in a permanent, accessible space strengthened the library's role as a reliable place for belonging and positioned it to sustain wellness programming that keeps older adults engaged over time.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Conway, NH
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: In 2017, the New Hampshire legislature legalized the construction of accessory dwelling units throughout the state. To promote this age-friendly housing option, the Mount Washington Valley Housing Coalition created information about the benefits of ADUs. This included print resources, videos and in-person presentations, which they distributed throughout the 10 towns encompassing the Mount Washington Valley. "What was most gratifying were the responses from everyone who heard the multiple benefits of ADUs, realized their own properties could qualify, saw the possibilities for elderly parents, learned that the old regulations no longer applied and felt empowered to talk to their own planning board members to advocate for flexible and permissive interpretations of the law," a representative of the coalition said. Since launching the initiative, the coalition has worked to educate real estate agents about ADUs. The organization has since added a town-by-town guide to local ADU ordinances.
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