Seeking a Home for His Parents, a Son Built a Community

The UCSD-Alacrán Community Station is a sanctuary neighborhood for migrants fleeing violence in their countries of origin that allows them to participate in building a community and new life for themselves. The neighborhood houses about 1,800 people on three acres and features a health clinic, food hub and school.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is an immigrant services agency that connects immigrants with the resources they need to adjust to life in Canada. The group helps an average of 73,000 people each year from more than 150 countries and provides assistance in finding affordable housing, English language training, career and social services and accessing care for seniors.

Maryland allocates extra funding to community schools, which are designed to provide social services and resources such as family centers, clothing closets, mentorship programs, and community partnerships. In one community high school, the addition of resources for teen parents has helped lower absences and increase college-admission rates.

Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provides care to elders including adult day care, home health care and supplies like bed rails, eyeglasses and access to medications, while simultaneously providing respite to family caregivers. Studies show PACE program participants have lower rates of hospital use and shorter lengths of stay compared to those participating in other programs or opting for general nursing home care. The PACE centers in Metro Detroit serve 1,600 adults across its seven centers. Statewide, there are 14 active PACE programs across 24 centers.

University-based retirement communities help to foster intergenerational connections between younger and older generations. Some of these facilities are simply developments near colleges, while others are physically on-campus. Along with building connections, these programs help fight feelings of loneliness among the older population and break down stigmas young people may hold about the elderly.

To combat worker shortages, the Presbyterian Homes and Services — a network of over 50 senior living communities — has been partnering with the International Personnel Resource of the Philippines to bring registered nurses from overseas to the states.

The Money Follows the Person is a federal program that increases access to Medicaid funds for home and community care services for people transitioning out of institutional care. The program has helped more than 101,000 people move out of long-term care facilities into community or home living. The program has also helped people save money by cutting taxpayers’ Medicaid and Medicare bills by about 23% for each person who was moved out of a nursing home or other institution. Based on the program’s success, the current administration is reviewing plans to extend or make Money Follows the

Rural communities throughout the United States are experimenting with a Boston-based senior-assistance program that implements a shared-services approach to senior care. Although barriers to creating connectivity in isolated rural regions can be more challenging than in more urbanized cities, rural areas in Colorado and Montana are finding ways to make it work.

Continuing care at-home programs are filling a gap for senior citizens that do not require around-the-clock care, but need someone to check in on their health on a regular basis. Using “care navigators,” to monitor the health of those in the program, this option of long-term care allows people to remain in their homes longer, and are also often a more affordable option.

The Boys' Club of New York addresses the mental health crisis among at-risk boys by providing structured programming, peer mentorship from alumni staff, and a culture of belonging across three clubhouses and roughly 2,500 members.