Skip to main content
Center on Aging and Community
What We Do > Communities for a Lifetime

Indiana Announces Communities for a Lifetime Planning Grant Recipients


Lieutenant Governor Becky Skillman announced three recipients of a pilot grant to study how to make their communities friendly for residents of all ages. Communities for a Lifetime, a collaborative effort among state agencies, educational institutions and non-profit organizations, encourages cities and towns to welcome, value, and support the meaningful participation of people of all abilities across the entire lifespan.

The winning communities, which will receive $16,000 planning grants, are:
•    Huntington
•    Linton
•    Valparaiso

“Communities for a Lifetime is truly a collaborative and innovative effort for Indiana,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, who chairs the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. “For the first time communities are looking at their long-term sustainability and determining what solutions will ensure their residents are invested and thriving in their communities of choice for years to come.”

Through a competitive process, three of the nine communities who submitted a letter of interest were selected to participate in this pilot program. They will receive grants to complete a 5-month planning process that will include determining their local need and walkability to food, medical care, and amenities. Other aspects will include setting safety standards, finding ways to locally promote intergenerational interactions and civic engagement, and maximizing independence for their residents.

"This initiative puts Indiana at the leading edge of the growing age-friendly community movement,” said Dr. Phil Stafford, Director of the Center on Aging and Community at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community. "We look forward to path-breaking work by these three communities."

Stafford chairs the Community for a Lifetime Committee, established by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority in 2011. It also includes Suellen Jackson-Boner, Director of the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities, and Deborah McCarty, Director of the Back Home in Indiana Alliance.

Portions of this text appeared in an Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority press release dated March 1, 2012.