NeighborWorks NEPA Announces Grant for Aging in Place Services

Staff from NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania were joined today by U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) to announce the receipt of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the expansion ofAging in Place Services in Lackawanna and Wayne Counties.

Awarded as part of HUD’s Older Adult Home Modification Program (OAHMP), the grant will fund safety upgrades and home improvement projects in 225 homes to meet the needs of low-income elderly homeowners in Lackawanna and Wayne counties.

“Seniors across the nation have made their desire to live in their own homes resoundingly clear, which is why the work that NeighborWorks does is so vital,” said Senator Casey. “These dollars will go directly to seniors who need services and supports such as safety adjustments, home repairs and accessibility modifications that will allow them to live safely and with dignity. I look forward to seeing the benefits that will reach Northeastern Pennsylvania seniors as a result of this grant and I will continue to advocate for a historic federal investment in home and community-based services.”

“The Office of Lead Hazard Control & Healthy Homes is excited to broaden our scope to include the Older Adults Home Modification Program (OAHMP),” Yolanda Brown, Lead and Healthy Homes Program Division Director for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said of the program expansion. “OAHMP provides funding to assess the needs of low-income, elderly homeowners and make home modifications that are responsive to those needs. The work made possible by these funds help to make activities of daily living (e.g. eating, cooking, moving around the home) easier for our beneficiaries and extend their opportunity to safely age-in-place.”

“We are most thankful for the support of Senator Casey and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in supporting our Aging in Place program with this significant investment,” Jesse Ergott, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania President & CEO, said of the award. “Being able to reach more older adults in Lackawanna County, together with the expansion of Aging in Place services in Wayne County, will make a profound impact for the good of older adults in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

Since its inception in 2015, the Aging in Place program of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania has provided homeowners aged 60 and above with services that focus on assisting them to continue living safely and with dignity in their home and community. Services provided as part of the Aging in Place program include critical safety modifications, home repairs, senior isolation prevention, financial coaching, and more.

NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is one of 32 grant recipients across the United States to be receiving funding in this round of OAHMP awards; other grant recipients include local and state government entities, nonprofit agencies, and public housing authorities. Altogether, more than 5,000 beneficiaries nationwide will be reached by services that will assist seniors in continuing to live in their homes.

Lackawanna County residents seeking Aging in Place services should contact the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging at 570-963-6707 to ask for an Aging in Place referral. Wayne County residents seeking Aging in Place services are asked to contact the Wayne County Area Agency on Aging by calling 570-253-4262.