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Atlanta, GA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: To educate the public about options to age in place, MicroLife Institute created a 4-minute informational video on accessory dwelling units -- small dwellings built on a property alongside a preexisting single-family home. The video features firsthand accounts of what it's like to live in or build an ADU. For Katharine Connell, a young Atlanta mother and homeowner, an ADU means multi-generational housing for her aging mother. My mom and I have always been very close, she tells viewers. For others in the video, renting out an ADU led to supplemental income or provided tenants with more affordable option, helping them remain in their neighborhood. Organizers say they hope the video serves as a tool to mobilize residents to demand their local commissions permit more housing options, including ADUs.
Lexington, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2018
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: An anticipated change in Lexington's zoning laws to permit accessory dwelling units inspired the creation of a Homeowner's Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units. To build interest in ADUs and provide examples for the publication, the University of Kentucky School of Design hosted a design competition for students and alumni. Cash prizes were awarded to the first, second and third place winners from each group. The ADU manual that came out of the grant -- a tangible document that people can have in their hands to understand what we're talking about -- was crucial to helping us convey the message we needed in order to bring about change, said Chris Woodall, manager of long-range planning for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
Louisville, KY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: After the City of Louisville updated its zoning code to allow accessory dwelling units, Planning Design Services set out to inform homeowners about their options. ADUs -- or smaller, second homes constructed on preexisting residential lots -- offer an accessible and affordable housing option. Working with a consultant, PDS collected stories about ADUs from residents, including homeowners building ADUs. They also held listening sessions with community leaders, advocates and influences. A community-wide survey helped City staff understand local attitudes about ADUs, including perceived barriers to constructing them. Based on this research, PDS created a public service announcement commercial, as well as a social media ad campaign. Additionally, they created a how-to guide and list of resources to guide homeowners through the process of constructing an ADU. Planners hope the effort leads to more ADU permitting, which will help fill the community's need for missing middle housing.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Santa Cruz, CA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2025
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: This project will offer six free workshops to teach older adults how to make their homes safer. Volunteers will also promote a program which provides free grab bars and home safety modifications.
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.
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