Did you Know: Habitat for Humanity offers more than just construction and repairs

Hello KIRC fam!

The past several weeks have been busy but I also believe they have been productive. I am happy to report that our continually growing tribe is now on the radar of additional agencies which work within the aging sector. Our progress is what I describe as ‘slow and steady.’ 

Thank you again to everyone who has supported the KIRC effort with a paid subscription – I appreciate you!

On the heels of returning from the Association of Health Care Journalists conference, KIRC recently attended another national event.

American Society on Aging

Last week KIRC (me) had the opportunity to attend a portion of the American Society on Aging (ASA) annual On Aging conference in Atlanta, Georgia. As you may recall I completed the ASA Rise Program Fellowship in 2022. It was an extensive 6-month learning course. More than two dozen other emerging leaders in the aging field came together for a deep-dive program exploring health care and aging, with a specific focus on the intersection of diversity, equity and inclusion.

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At the 2023 ASA Conference, I made new connections and reconnected with many ASA Rise colleagues. We joined hundreds of individuals from all over the country representing a wide range of health care and aging programs.

I learned a a great deal and would like to share some of that with you. To make it easy, I’ll break it up into bite-sized nuggets over the next few days.

This update is about an agency many of us are familiar with, but may not know the full extent of services now being offered in some communities.

Habitat for Humanity embracing our aging population

Did you know, Habitat for Humanity (HFH) has expanded its focus in some communities?

The national and international agency brought to prominence thanks in large part to the involvement of former President Jimmy Carter, is also putting resources into helping people who want to age in place and do so safely. 

HFH reports that 57% of repair work the organization completes is for older homeowners, 65-plus.  Of those, research shows 87% prefer to age in place. 

The question is – how to make that possible?

For the first sessions of this year’s ASA conference, I joined other ASA Rise Fellows to learn details of several Habitat for Humanity programs which are focused within the aging space.

Habitat for Humanity Housing Plus 

This particular program is based in a handful of communities in and around Atlanta.

“We adopt an holistic approach to housing. It is a person centered, holistic approach, that includes a partnership with trained professionals, including nurses, social workers and working closely with the Area Agency on Aging,” explained Carol Gregory, an Organizational Development Consultant at Habitat for Humanity International.

“Housing plus includes two different assessment to make sure that we meet the homeowners needs; how do they get along in their house and we go in and assess the house. We put those two assessments together to serve that individual holistically.”

Habitat is also hyper-focused on serving the veteran community. To that end, it has partnered with home improvement retail chain Lowe’s to carry out some of this work. The partnership also provides employment opportunities and/or training to veterans.

Program coordinators were quick to point out, this type of solution-driven partnership isn’t just to serve the needs of older adults.

“Many homes are not built with aging and disability in mind. You may need a ramp or access to your home,” explained Faustina Osobrne, who previously spent time working with AmeriCorps.

The concept of aging in place includes many items you may not have thought about. 

In fact, many are small changes we could make long before there is a need. Habitat works with AARP to offer classes and caregiving workshops to help families prepare for ‘aging in place.’

That includes thinking about:

  • Counter size and height.

  • Adapting a bathroom to keep safety in mind.

  • Changing round, sometimes difficult to grasp door knobs, for levers.

  • Modifying your home to make it more appropriate for age and/or disability.

Advocacy in any neighborhood

I asked the presenters if these Habitat for Humanity programs are in communities across the country. So far, Atlanta is leading the way for this specific age-focused work. It is also important to note there are income thresholds in order to qualify for this assistance.

Reasons for hope

Learning about this program gives me reason to hope. It reminds me that when many of us come together with common goals, there may be no limits to what we can create and who we can help.

Perhaps any of us could reach out to our local HFH offices to learn more about what it would take to bring such programs to more communities.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity programs and services in your area, reach out to your local office. 

This is a concept to keep our eyes on. Creativity and win-win solutions are out there. How do you think KIRC (all of us) could play a role?

More soon~

Until next time-
Julia