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ReFIT - Remodeling for Independence Together (2024) Print
2024 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Housing
└ HomeFit Modifications
└ HomeFit Modifications
Older adults in Portland faced fall risks and lacked access to affordable home safety solutions, especially those with language barriers. ReFIT responded by hosting six outreach events, sharing multilingual HomeFit Guides and safety items, and installing 22 grab bars plus other modifications like ramps and railings. These changes help residents age in place with confidence and dignity. "I feel so much safer now... I just didn't know who to ask about getting this done," said one client, reflecting the project's lasting impact on independence and peace of mind.
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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See More Projects Like This One
Wabasha, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Home safety checks will be integrated into routine visits by local partners. Education, referrals and assessments will strengthen aging-in-place efforts.
San Antonio, TX
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Homeowners in San Antonio's repair program often lacked skills to maintain improvements, risking safety and costly fixes. To address this, six workshops trained 128 homeowners age 50-plus on plumbing basics, disaster prep and financial management. Trainers demonstrated safety tools like alarms and fire extinguishers, and participants received items to reinforce lessons. Afterward, all said they'd recommend the training, and the city reported no callbacks from attendees, showing a sign of lasting impact. One participant noted, "I learned about simple plumbing fixes that I can make myself."
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Saco, ME
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: HomeFit Modifications
Description: Older adults in Saco faced safety risks at home, making aging in place harder. To address this, the group created a universal design brochure with city planners and distributed it to residents seeking building permits. They also developed a home safety assessment tool used during handyman visits to suggest improvements like grab bars and smoke detectors. The brochure is now part of the citys permitting process, and discussions are underway to require universal design in new housing. One resident said installing grab bars gave her peace of mind and made her bathroom much safer.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Portland, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2022
Project Category: Emergency preparedness skills
Description: Older adults in Portland's Lloyd neighborhood needed better emergency preparedness. The Lloyd Prepares Challenge engaged residents in five weeks of tasks like creating personal plans, gathering supplies and attending workshops. Sixty participants completed 130 tasks and received items such as first aid kits and go-bags. "It feels so good to know what to do if something bad happens," said a retirement community member after a Stop the Bleed class. The effort sparked new partnerships and will evolve into a Neighborhood Emergency Team.
Project description was created using generative AI and then reviewed for accuracy.
Portland, OR
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2026
Project Category: Bike Audits
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