Grants Focus on Affordable Housing, Pedestrian Safety in New Jersey

When Aaron Kissel moved to Montclair from Washington, D.C., with his family four years ago for a new job, his retired in-laws rented an apartment nearby.

His in-laws, both now 86, are still active. But Kissel says the time that he and his wife, Meg Menzel, spend helping them manage their medical needs keeps rising.

So when Montclair passed an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units — small homes or apartments on the same lot as a single-family house — Kissel and his wife decided to convert their detached garage into a 1,100-square-foot residence.

Once the renovation is completed, his in-laws will be able to live there — with Kissel, his wife and their three kids just 90 feet away.

“You don’t know when health will change the equation, so we wanted to get it done as quickly as we could,” says Kissel, 50, CEO of a business services company. “Every year counts.”

To look over sample designs of ADUs, Kissel contacted Ann Lippel, executive vice president of Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place. The nonprofit received a $12,266 AARP Community Challenge grant in 2023 for a competition that created free designs for homeowners for building ADUs, and documentation for obtaining planning board approval.

That project has spurred other efforts beyond Montclair. Among the Community Challenge grant recipients in 2025, New Jersey Advocates for Aging Well received $15,000 for a design competition that also focuses on ADUs, as well as affordable, age-friendly housing. Winning designs will be shared across the state to encourage development.

“Knowing what Ann [Lippel] had done in Montclair, we just saw this as a great opportunity to bring awareness of the potential for housing ... statewide,” says Cathy Rowe, 58, NJAAW executive director of advocacy.

The national AARP Community Challenge grant program aims to make communities more livable for all ages by improving public spaces, housing and safety, among other goals. This year, AARP awarded 383 grants for quick-action projects, totaling $4.2 million.

“The projects jump-start big ideas for meaningful improvements to communities,” says Sarah Torres, director of community outreach and volunteer engagement at AARP New Jersey.

PROJECTS HELP OLDER RESIDENTS

Since the grant program began in 2017, New Jersey groups have received 47 grants totaling $586,936. “Every year we get more and more applications coming through by word of mouth,” Torres says.

The grant to Rowe’s group is one of 11, totaling $110,600, that AARP awarded in New Jersey this year, with amounts ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. Among the recipients:

• In Montville, $25,000 to the township, with funding support from Toyota Motor North America Inc., to install a 700-foot sidewalk along Vreeland Avenue, connecting a development for older adults to existing sidewalks to improve pedestrian safety and walkability to transit.
• In Leonia, $2,500 to the borough for educational training on home safety and comfort, focusing on older adults and their families. Participants will gain knowledge on safety and accessibility options and may be eligible for home modifications, such as grab bar installations.
• In South Orange, $3,100 to Walk Bike Ride South Orange and Meadowland Park Conservancy to improve safety for older adults and other visitors to the park and community center by engaging volunteers to paint artistic crosswalks, add green paint to bike lanes, and install delineators on Mead Street.
• In Denville, $2,500 to the public library to offer disaster planning training sessions. Participants receive emergency supply checklists and 72-hour survival backpack kits.
• In Little Falls, $15,000 to the historical society to create a vibrant outdoor gathering place at the Old Town Hall with age-friendly benches, flower gardens, shaded seating and accessible walking paths. Aimed at people aged 50-plus, the project promotes physical and emotional health for the whole community.

“The hope, the dream, is they get replicated and expanded, too,” says Torres of this year’s projects.

To learn more about the annual program and grant applications, go to aarp.org/communitychallenge.

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

MORE ON LIVABILITY

• Explore the AARP Livability Index
• Learn About the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
• Download a Free AARP Walk Audit Toolkit