Summer 2014
Issue #178
Aging in Community
Our housing stock and our communities are not ready to accommodate the needs of the coming age wave. Most of our housing stock is not adapted for the challenges of aging, and our health care system is only taking the first baby steps toward thinking about prevention. This puts us in danger of having an overwhelmed system in which the lives of too many seniors, espeialy lower income ones, are isolated, curtailed by preventable falls, or disrupted by premature moves and institutionalization. The good news is this is a challenge for which we have the chance to fully prepare. We know more or less exactly what's coming and when. We also have a pretty good grasp on what needs to happen and his issue of Shelterforce explores many of those things.
Interview with George McCarthy, President of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
After 14 years at the Ford Foundation, George “Mac” McCarthy became the fifth president of the 41-year-old Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Capital Catch-up
Community lenders try to address the capital crunch faced by small businesses of color.
Interview with Ai-jen Poo, Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance
Ai-Jen Poo has been organizing with domestic workers for over 15 years, helping in New York to win some of the first statewide labor protections for occupations often exempt from labor laws, and expanding this campaign to a nationwide vision for a strong caregiving workforce and infrastructure for elder care. In 2014 she became a MacArthur Fellow, but this was hardly her first award.
Housing Beyond the Nuclear Family
As multigenerational households increase, some community groups are rethinking how to design homes and developments to bring generations together.
Keeping Seniors Healthy by Fostering Connections and Community
For high needs seniors with chronic illnesses, health is not merely—or even mostly—a matter for medical professionals.
Leaving Grandma Out in the Cold
The demise of the federal program that funded senior housing construction bodes ill for the increasing numbers of low-income seniors who struggle to afford a decent place to live.
Meeting the Housing Needs of an Aging Population
Our aging population is more economically and ethnically diverse than any before, and will require a greater and more varied inventory of housing stock.
Affordable, But for Whom?
How a box of felt pieces helps organizers help New York communities advocate for their real affordable housing needs
Renovating Senior Complexes to Be Green, Healthy, and Connected
Orness Plaza is one of the only public housing developments geared toward seniors and the disabled in Mankato, Minn., the state’s fourth largest city. Although the city boasts significant economic […]
Safe Banking for Seniors
To support older adults to safely age in community, we need to consider what they need out of banking—and what they need to be protected from.
The Benefits of Aging in Manufactured Housing Communities
As places for low- and moderate-income Americans to age in place, manufactured housing communities present an impressive array of advantages—and some financial risks.
Thinking Gray—And Positive
When I think about all the boards and committees I’ve served on, the clean-up days and neighborhood association events and protests I’ve attended, I picture a lot of gray. Not […]
Staying Ahead of the Age Wave
Groups working with older adults, including many community developers, are crafting a range of creative interventions, from home modifications to service-enriched housing models, to allow seniors to age in place. Will it be enough?