The
Allen Neighborhood Center (ANC) recently received a grant from the
City of Lansing to lay the groundwork for a new initiative called Eastside Living. The initiative is designed to make it extremely easy for seniors to age in the neighborhood.
Eastside Living is inspired by a model developed in the
Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. Beacon Hill offers a wide range of services to seniors who join their ‘village’, including: rides to appointments; check-in phone calls for people living alone; assistance with advertising and renting rooms to college students; deep discounts with carefully screened plumbers carpenters, electricians; social programs; and much more.
"This initiative will ensure that the Eastside remains a full life-cycle neighborhood — one that continues to attracts young professionals and families, even as it retains its elders by ensuring that they can age safely and satisfyingly in community” says Joan Nelson, director at Allen Neighborhood Center.
Currently, Martinez Consulting and ANC are surveying Eastside residents over 55 to determine which services are most important to seniors (and near seniors) in the neighborhood.
Source: Joan Nelson, Allen Neighborhood Center
Writer: Suban Nur Cooley
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