Grants Help Boost Accessibility, Livability

As a nurse in Coral Springs, Joan Braide has seen her share of injuries among older adults who have fallen in their homes. But Braide recently had a close call of her own, losing her balance as she stepped out of the shower.

“The bathroom floor gets slippery, and I went backwards and almost fell,” Braide recalls. “It was really scary for me.”

So this summer, Braide had a grab bar installed in her bathroom for free through the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Broward County, which won a $2,500 AARP Community Challenge grant to make safety improvements in the homes of older residents. In addition to grab bars, Rebuilding Together added lighting and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to area residences.

The grant in Broward County was one of 12 that AARP awarded to entities in Florida this year, for a total of $101,920, with many projects focused on accessibility and safety. The AARP program is aimed at making communities more livable by improving public spaces, housing and transportation, among other goals. Nationally, AARP awarded nearly $3.8 million in grants for 343 projects in 2024.

This year’s Florida grants ranged from $2,500 to $18,000 and helped to pay for improvements such as making a community garden accessible and adding picnic tables to public spaces.

“We want to ensure our communities are places that allow people to stay in their home, in their community, and to do so safely,” says Laura Streed, AARP Florida’s senior associate state director for advocacy.

Small changes, big benefits

Streed says even small modifications can help older adults age in place safely. “A lot of our homes here in Florida were built for 40-year-olds,” she says.

In Pinellas Park, a $2,500 grant will help the local fire department pay for the installation of grab bars in the homes of 25 residents who are 50 and older—most of whom have called emergency services at least twice within about six months.

In Brevard County, a $2,500 grant will pay for home usability assessments for older adults to identify trip hazards, poor lighting and lack of railings, among other possible problems.

In Surfside, an $18,000 grant will help pay for the installation of nonslip, accessible beach mats so that residents with mobility challenges can cross the beach to reach the water and nearby shaded areas.

“With every grab bar, every toilet riser, or shower chair or things like that we are installing, we’re preventing a fall risk,” says Rita Killinger, Rebuilding Together Broward County’s director of development and community engagement.

For Braide, the upgrades—which included a new shower head and smoke detector in addition to the grab bar—have definitely given her an added sense of security.

“When I’m going to take a shower, I’m glad it’s there,” she says.

Other grants awarded this year include:

• In the Tampa Bay area, a $17,000 grant is helping a mobile soup kitchen get additional refrigeration units to increase storage space for donated food. The nonprofit 360 Eats distributes the donations to people facing food insecurity, particularly older adults and those transitioning from homelessness.
• In Tallahassee, a $10,000 grant is helping older adults learn the skills needed to navigate public transportation independently, with the city’s transit provider, StarMetro, offering free training to residents.
• In St. Petersburg, a $9,000 grant is making a community garden more accessible by constructing benches, an awning and raised beds for growing healthy, free food. The city’s housing authority will also hold workshops on sustainable gardening, cooking and budgeting skills.

AARP’s Streed says the grants are aimed at sparking innovative change at the local level, which can also lead to long-term community improvements.

“It’s spurred ideas across the state,” she adds. ■

Drew Jubera spent 21 years as a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has written for the Bulletin since 2009.

More on this topic

• Smart Guide to Aging in Place
• Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S. for Older Adults
• AARP Livable Communities Map
  
  What Is a Livable Community?