DC Neighborhoods Innovate

By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-08-24 14:40:01.432440-04:00

Ask District residents where they'd like to live as they age and need more services, and the vast majority give the same answer -- in their own homes and their own communities. The question is how to achieve that goal safely and comfortably.

A number of local activists think they have found their answer in a December 2005 AARP Bulletin, and they're ready to give it a try.

The Bulletin article described Beacon Hill Village in Boston, a full-service concierge program dedicated to linking older residents of the Beacon Hill neighborhood with anything from a ride to the doctor's office to house painting services to free lectures and exercise classes. Participants must be 50 or older, live in the neighborhood and pay an annual fee.

Capitol Hill was the first District neighborhood to make the commitment to establish its own such "village" here in the Capital and will be the first to launch in October 2007. Other neighborhoods are making real strides as well. Since these are not "cookie cutter" communities, each one is working to develop a service that meets its residents' unique needs and interests.

To assist in these efforts, AARP DC conducted a workshop on May 31 for area residents actively pursuing the Beacon Hill Village model. "Staying in the Neighborhood: A Workshop for Community Organizers" brought together organizers from neighborhoods including Capitol Hill, Chevy Chase, Fort Stevens, Hillcrest, Kalorama, McLean Gardes, Palisades, Foxhall Village and Glover Park, as well as three Virginia Communities.

An August 14 New York Times article highlights some of the individuals and neighborhoods that are actively involved.

Presenters included representatives of Beacon Hill Village, Capitol Hill Village, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation and Iona Senior Services, the Lead Agency for Aging for many Northwest Washington communities. The goal was to help organizers determine how they might develop and modify the model to work for them and their neighbors.

The response was extremely positive. According to Tibby Ford, a lead organizers in the Kalorama neighborhood, "While undertaking this initiative seems daunting, hearing from these 'pioneers' is inspiring and makes it seem doable. AARP's commitment and support of this nascent movement is greatly appreciated and admired." Norman Metzger, vice president of the Board of Capitol Hill Village, added that "The encouragement was in the strong belief that resonated throughout the meeting that we were riding a very powerful idea and that support for it was extraordinarily enthusiastic."

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Developing DC Villages

These agencies plan and deliver direct services to the District's elderly residents and their caregivers. Each ward has one or more Lead Agencies that provide services to seniors in the ward.

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