Indiana Has Two AARP Community Challenge Winners

Communities across Indiana are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

In support of that work, AARP is excited to be able to provide funding to organizations through the AARP Community Challenge to help them jumpstart progress on ongoing work. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 129 organizations, with at least one in every state, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico, including right here in Indiana.  The Community Challenge grants provide communities with the chance to fund innovative projects that can inspire change in areas such as transportation, open spaces, housing, and other innovative projects to improve the community and make Indiana’s counties, cities, towns and rural areas better places to live for all Hoosiers.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all residents. We believe that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.

After a successful 2017, with 90 grantees, this initiative is now in its 2 ^nd year, and it has increased its investment to over $1.3 million in the form of 129 grants.

We are excited about the work that the Community Challenge Grants are supporting in 2018 . Here in Indiana, grantees include:

• Gary: City of Gary Redevelopment CommissionThis grant will provide a new park in downtown Gary on a formerly blighted vacant lot and offer free or low-cost events, programming, and amenities to the general public.
• Indianapolis: IndyGoThis grant will provide a transit stipend and training for two low-income housing units for older adults. The goal is to increase the use of rideshare, such as Uber and Lyft, so the residents can travel independently to health care, shopping, recreation and other destinations.

“Indiana has so many great communities that are full of great projects just looking for a little push,” said Sarah Waddle, state director for AARP Indiana. “Hoosiers are taking the lead through innovation and action to make their communities better for people of all ages. We believe that these projects will motivate other local leaders and encourage longer-term progress.”

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge grant program both here in Indiana as well as across the nation, visit us at aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. And to learn more about how AARP is working to make communities across Indiana and across the U.S. more livable for all residents, visit aarp.org/livable.