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Red Feather (2022) Print
2022 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
└ Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Organizers with Red Feather recognized that Native elders have a strong cultural preference to age in place in their own homes. To help older adults from the Hopi and Navajo tribes, the nonprofit set out to make elders' home safer. Case managers made home visits to conduct aging in place assessments, create a plan to modify homes and educate homeowners about safety. The nonprofit also modified homes, installing a ramp, repairing a roof and providing new kitchen appliances. Organizers say the initiative helped address health disparities -- Native elders have a lower life expectancy and higher rates of disability and chronic health conditions than other populations. Organizers anticipate home modifications will reduce falls, keeping elders out of the hospital.
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Buffalo, NY
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: To help low-income families rehabilitate their homes, Habitat for Humanity Buffalo held a series of construction skills trainings. Designed to reach people without a background in construction, the workshops focused on plumbing and electrical work. Project organizers say these education efforts ensure individuals are empowered to undertake critical home repairs. Additionally, the nonprofit wanted to help its volunteers understand the communities they serve. To do this, the organization hosted training sessions on topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Organizers report the sessions informed Home Team volunteers about the history of low-income communities and reinforced the importance of Habitat's mission to construct affordable housing.
Tucson, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: The project addressed a critical shortage of safe, affordable assisted living for low-income older adults in Tucson. Volunteers made renovations to 19 units, adding new flooring, paint and bathroom fixtures to improve accessibility and comfort. These upgrades created a more sustainable living environment and lifted residents' spirits. One resident shared that she now can wake up in the morning with a smile on her face, underscoring the impact of these improvements on daily life.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Pinellas County, FL
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: The Florida Dream Center helps older adults in Pinellas County age in place, relying on federal grants and other funding sources to assist with home repairs and modifications. However, this funding is typically limited, meaning the nonprofit can only improve homes belonging to residents over the age of 62. To serve a larger subset of older adults, the Florida Dream Center created a program for residents between the ages of 50 to 61. Modifications include installing grab bars and handrails, replacing flooring, fixing holes in exterior walls, painting, rewiring exterior lights and mitigating rodents and other pests. By tapping a wide volunteer network to help make repairs, the Center has since expanded the services it offers to older homeowners.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Tuba City, AZ
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Roadway/sidewalks/crosswalk improvement
Description: The Nanees'Dizi Chapter government serves nearly 10,000 members of the Navajo Nation. Recently, the Chapter redid its headquarters to offer an incubation space for local vendors, artists and businesses, including adding an outdoor market. Change Labs hoped to help residents access this space, so they installed new steps and a handrail. Ahead of the work, Change Labs met with older adults in the community to understand their needs. Organizers say the project sparked a community conversation about needed infrastructure upgrades. It also strengthened relationships between local business owners and government leaders.
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