Here's my new buddy, LEO. This pup was a surprise co-panelist at last night’s Douglas County Live Town Hall. LEO is a new Senior Resource puppy with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, and he'll be visiting communities and attending events for Older Adults around the County. I love this! Not only is LEO super sweet, but he impacts the people he meets--we know that even visiting with dogs can improve mood, reduce blood pressure, and encourage play!
LEO was a fun surprise, but last night was really about connecting with Older Adults and caregivers. Over the past year, or so I've had the honor of being a part of the Older Adults initiative and tours, and last night, hundreds of residents joined the Live Town Hall to discuss some of the tour and survey results as well as the next steps for the initiative. At the Douglas County Housing Partnership (DCHP), we know that to achieve our mission, we must expand affordable housing opportunities and stability. During the tour and in a recent survey we learned Douglas County Older Adults agree! Again and again, affordable and accessible housing emerged as a top priority. Thanks to the Douglas County Commissions for their leadership and efforts related to this initiative and listening tour.
During last night’s panel, I discussed the Housing Counseling programs DCHP offers to support housing stability and shared the four initial action steps determined by the Older Adults Initiative Executive Committee to address the housing needs for Older Adults in Douglas County, which include a local needs assessment, strategic planning, researching development standards that can lower costs (and lead to more housing development and opportunity), and developing design guidelines for consistent accessible housing standards. These action steps are just the beginning of improving housing stability, affordable opportunity, and accessibility.
What steps are you taking to address housing needs for Older Adults in your community?
#affordablehousing #olderadults #dogsoflinkedin #aginginplace
