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Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay (2017) Print
2017 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
An increasing number of older adults are at risk of losing their homes. Common reasons include rising housing costs or homes that are unsuitable for aging in place. According to David Foster, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay, 300 families in the high-cost Santa Cruz area are income-burdened. To address this, Habitat for Humanity's My House My Home program builds aging-friendly accessory dwelling units. This project involved building an ADU attachment onto an older couple's home. That allowed the couple to rent out the unit, providing them with rental income that allowed them to remain in their home of 50 years. Grant funding also supported accessibility to the main house, including a new walkway and ramp, as well as low-water landscaping. They have the option to move into the ADU - which also includes accessibility features - if they choose to downsize in the future.
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Augusta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Entrepreneurship and improved economic resilience
Description: Music and farming are deep parts of Augusta's culture. To support Black musicians and farmers through agrotourism, Garden City Jazz created a series of outdoor concerts, dubbed Soul Soil. The concert series -- which took place at local farms -- featured performances by professional gospel, jazz and blues musicians and attracted visitors from all around the region. The series also sparked important conversations about the inequities Black farmers face. This resulted in new partnerships, as well as the creation of cooperatively owned farmers market.
Hartford, CT
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Park enhancements
Description: This project improved accessibility at Pope Park for older adults and people with disabilities. Project organizers installed ADA-compliant picnic tables with benches, designed to accommodate individuals using scooters or wheelchairs. The added amenities upgraded an area of the park with a play area and spray pool for small children. In this predominantly low-income neighborhood few homes have front or back yards, making Pope Park an important outdoor space for residents of all ages. Project organizers say the new seating highlighted a need for more accessible pathways in the park, which are now being designed.
Manhattan, KS
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: Manhattan's busiest intersections needed safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists. To address this, the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization installed curb extensions and pedestrian islands at key locations within the community, including in front of the local elementary school. The enhancements made the crossings more visible, placing priority on people rather than vehicles. Organizers say the project showed residents and government leadership that it's possible to improve walkability and make neighborhoods safer on a modest budget.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
San Jose, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Public space activation
Description: The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the local economy in San Jose's Washington neighborhood. To help meet the community's needs, Veggielution hosted free arts and environmental education programming. The local nonprofit, which aims to connect people through food and farming, invited people to the SoFa pocket park, which the organization created on the site of an underused parking lot. Events included a monthly garden art workshop and live musical and theater performances by local arts organizations. Additionally, Veggielution worked with a local arts school to create a mural for the pocket park. The activities helped link residents to resources, such as food assistance and entrepreneurship training, and connected local nonprofit organizations to each other, creating a better web of support for the community.
Seaside, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2020
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: United Way of Monterey County constructed two accessory dwelling units in Seaside. Each unit meets standards for visitability and is deed-restricted, which requires the units to be rented out at affordable rates. To reduce costs and cut down on permitting times for residents interested in building their own ADUs, the United Way also created prototype ADU blueprints and made them available on Seaside's website. In addition, they held four workshops to educate the public about the value of infill development for housing affordability. Over 400 people attended and since the workshops the City has received more than 60 applications for ADU permits, with many using the pre-approved ADU plans. Project organizers say the County and nearby Salinas have since made their own ADU plans available to the public.
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