Grants Aim to Boost Livability

Evelyn Nakato knows how tight the housing market is.

Last year, she spent weeks searching for an apartment in Watertown for her 75-year-old mother, Alice Kabuye, who was stuck in rehab after a hospital stay. Finding a suitable apartment in a city where the median rent in 2022 was $2,183 a month was a challenge — a maze of paperwork, eligibility requirements and housing applications.

“I was trying to read and Google things,” Nakato says. “I was just patching information together.”

She was ultimately helped by city officials, who guided her toward an apartment owned by the Watertown Housing Authority. Nakato’s mother now lives a couple of minutes away, allowing Nakato to oversee her care, do her shopping and run her errands.

The Watertown Department of Senior Services and the Watertown Council on Aging—whose officials helped Nakato — are now beneficiaries of a $20,000 AARP Community Challenge grant to support an eviction prevention project offering financial aid to older adult renters.

It’s one of 16 AARP Community Challenge grants awarded across the state in 2024 to help communities become more livable by improving public places, transportation, housing and other essential services. Other grants funded a range of initiatives, from digital literacy projects in Worcester and Monterey, to a walking trail in Taunton.

The grants — from the AARP Massachusetts office and the national AARP office — totaled $127,000. Across the country in 2024, the national AARP program awarded 343 grants, worth $3.8 million.

Housing a key concern

In Watertown, helping older residents secure affordable housing is a significant challenge. Lydia McCoy, director of senior services for the city, says there are dozens of older residents feeling the squeeze of rising rents and dwindling housing supply.

“They are being forced out of their neighborhoods, where they have support systems and their friends,” says Antron Watson, age-friendly director for AARP Massachusetts.

According to Forbes Advisor, Massachusetts has the second-highest cost of living in the country, trailing only Hawai‘i. Housing is a key factor; the state’s median monthly housing cost is $1,960, third-highest in the nation.

The goal of Watertown’s eviction prevention program is to provide grants of up to $2,000 to help people who may be behind on rent or who can’t cover the full payment due to unexpected expenses. The money can also help those displaced from apartments when the building is sold and rents increase. In those cases, residents may be able to tap the program to cover things like real estate agent fees or moving costs, McCoy says.

“Sometimes, $2,000 can go a long way,” says Sheri Melenciano, a senior case manager for the city.

For resources on housing assistance, click here.

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Other Grants: Getting up to Speed on Two Wheels

Two communities are expanding support for bicycling, thanks to 2024 AARP Community Challenge grants.

In the northeast corner of the state, Merrimac received $2,500 for a bike audit along a 1.5-mile stretch of Massachusetts Route 110. There are minimal bike lanes in the town.

The audit will help determine the safest way to bike through town, and also whether starting an e-bike program would make sense, says Brienne Walsh, executive director of Merrimac’s Senior Center and Council on Aging.

In Lowell, the Bike Connector — a nonprofit that provides free or low-cost refurbished
bicycles to residents — is using its $6,185 grant to expand its reach to older residents of the city.

Working with the Lowell Senior Center, the Bike Connector plans to distribute for free at least 30 bikes plus 50 helmets, locks and lights to older people and to offer instruction on bike selection and safety. It will also provide information on trails for riding, says Wade Rubinstein, the organization’s president and founder.

The organization, which began in 2020 as an after-school program at the Career Academy, has expanded to work with other community organizations.

The grants support AARP’s goals to improve public infrastructure. “More older adults are getting rid of cars but want to maintain mobility and are turning to bikes,” says Antron Watson, age-friendly director for AARP Massachusetts.

Jill Gambon is based in West Newbury and has written for publications in Boston, New York and elsewhere. She has contributed to AARP since 2011.

Also of interest:

• An Age-Friendly Bay State, a Team Effort
• Top 100 Places to Live in the U.S. for Older Adults
• Keep up with local events and AARP advocacy efforts in Massachusetts
  
  AARP Community Challenge for More Livable Communities