Neighborhood Centers, guided by the Aging Agenda for Houston and Harris County, will implement a three-year Houston Aging in Place Innovations (HAPI) project with the Houston Health Department and Area Agency on Aging, the Care for Elders partnership, the YWCA, Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and Gateway to Care. Serving concentrations of low-income, minority older adults in three Houston neighborhoods, the goal is that older adults achieve optimal individual levels of functioning and support needed to age in place comfortably.

The HAPI objectives are:
(a) neighborhood aging-in-place assets and gaps related to the Aging Agenda are measured;
(b) more older adults benefit from evidence-based programs and support services provided by Senior Centers, on-site and off-site;
(c) older adults in case management achieve their individual service plans; and
(d) neighborhood services to elders improve significantly through more frequent and stronger collaboration.

Expected outcomes are: (a) older adults, both mobile and homebound, are better prepared and supported for a higher quality aging-in-place experience; (b) senior services providers are better connected and coordinated in leveraging resources and efficiently delivering quality services; and (c) Senior Centers are more integrated with other local service providers and community development entities, and capable of extending services to other neighborhood sites such as churches and senior apartment complexes.

The project approach is a new role for Senior Centers serving naturally occurring retirement communities with a menu of appreciative inquiry community assessment along with asset-based community development; evidence-based health promotion programs; case management teams using the appreciative inquiry approach that include certified community health workers and elder care field specialists, and neighborhood Elder-Care Action Teams.

The HAPI Project is being funded for three years beginning October 1, 2009 by the US DHHS Administration on Aging, with cash match by the United Way of Greater Houston and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities, for a combined $588,000 in year one.