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New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity Inc. (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
└ Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Older adults in the New Orleans metro area face high poverty rates and housing vulnerability, worsened by severe storms and rising insurance costs. To address this, Habitat built a model home showcasing climate-resilient design and universal accessibility features. It then hosted seven open houses for over 100 attendees, including prospective buyers and stakeholders. The model sparked investment and accelerated plans for Rising Oaks, a 150-unit development with cottages for older adults featuring microgrid power and flood-resistant construction. Attendees praised the accessibility and safety features, setting a new standard for affordable, resilient housing.
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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Milwaukee, WI
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: Milwaukee faced limited housing options, with most land zoned for single-family homes, restricting affordability and accessibility for older adults. Through the Growing MKE initiative, the city expanded outreach to engage residents in shaping zoning updates. The project held pop-ups at local centers for older adults, libraries and community events, plus public meetings and surveys. It reached over 1,000 people, including hundreds age 50-plus. Feedback highlighted strong support for housing diversity, accessory dwelling units and walkable neighborhoods. This engagement built understanding of housing needs and laid the foundation for zoning changes that will enable more affordable, accessible homes for residents.
Dallas, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: The community faced a severe housing gap, leaving older homeowners and college students with few affordable options. To address this, Operation Tiny House hosted seminars and design workshops to teach older adults about accessory dwelling units as a way to age in place and generate income. Participants, including older adults and students, collaborated on life-sized ADU prototypes and creative renderings, fostering intergenerational engagement. The project sparked enthusiasm for ADUs as a solution for affordability and independence while strengthening social ties. "It was inspiring to see older adults and students working side by side," organizers said, underscoring the shared purpose.
Eugene, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Description: SquareOne Villages constructed two ADA-compliant tiny houses at Emerald Village Eugene, a permanently affordable tiny home co-op. The 1.1 acre location features 22 tiny houses, ranging in size from 160- to 288-square-feet. Each contains a kitchenette, bathroom and sleeping and living areas. Private donations and in-kind contributions by local architects, builders and others funded the project, with future residents contributed their labor during construction. As a result, construction costs came to around 55,000 per unit, including the price of the land. The monthly cost to residents ranges from 200 to 300 and covers utilities, maintenance, operating costs and common spaces. As members of a housing cooperative, the residents own shares in the village, enabling each to receive some money if they choose to move out. To promote diverse housing options, organization also hosted two workshops on accessory dwellings unit in Eugene.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
New Orleans, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Bikeability
Description: Kabel Drive, a three-block corridor of with businesses led by people age 50-plus, faced pandemic setbacks and rising crime while lacking bike infrastructure. Riders locked bikes at storefronts, limiting access for older adults and people with mobility challenges. The project added bike racks, a fix-it station, decorative lighting and a welcome sign to make the area safer and more inviting. A business mixer built trust and led to a Kabel Drive owner joining AEDF's board. "We've built invaluable trust that will lead to better service of this area going forward," said AEDF. These changes sparked plans for holiday events and a Shop Local campaign, and the bike amenities are expected to draw new customers and boost sales.
New Orleans, LA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Lifelong housing and accessibility
Description: In New Orleans' Central City, soaring rents and a 20,000-person voucher waitlist left older adults facing unsafe housing. Bethlehem built a 2-bedroom ADA-accessible home with a wheelchair lift, partnering with Tulane architecture students for design and labor. The project drew more than 100 neighbors to a blessing event and mobilized 500 donors. It also prompted a zoning change allowing affordable housing in 3- and 4-plexes citywide and inspired plans for three more units. One visitor said, "He broke down crying... and told me his father had lived in affordable housing that was unsafe."
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