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Parks, Recreation and Community Services AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON! January 27, 2015 Age Friendly Evanston! Initiatives Christina Ferraro Assistant Director of Community Services

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION NETWORK OF AGE FRIENDLY CITIES 210 cities worldwide 26 countries 88 million people 11 affiliate programs i.e. AARP in USA at local level Evanston is now 1 of 39 cities in the USA 1 of 2 cities in Illinois

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON! TASKFORCE Appointed by Mayor Tisdahl in December 2013, the nine (9) member taskforce is developing the action plan to ensure Evanston is an Age Friendly community 1. Chairperson, Susan Cherco 2. Transportation, Helen Gagel 3. Social Participation, Jo-Ann Cromer 4. Respect & Social Inclusion, Dorothy Strong 5. Housing, Wayne Heimbach 6. Outdoor Spaces & Buildings, Susan Canter 7. Communication & Information, Martha Holmes 8. Community & Health Services, John Barfield 9. Civic Participation & Employment, Isidro Lucas

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services HOW IS THIS BEING ACCOMPLISHED? -Assess current age friendliness -Ask community members: What affects your ability to live your best life in Evanston? -Develop three-year city-wide action plan for implementation based on the objectives of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Age Friendly Communities Program

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS - Community outreach - Data collection efforts -Community meetings -Surveys print, electronic -Roundtable discussions -Focus groups -Working groups - Additional survey being prepared for distribution March 1st -Results of the survey will be analyzed and will lay the groundwork for the effort moving forward

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services HOUSING committee of nearly 20 individuals Need for more affordable housing to rent or own current options are too expensive! Land trusts Shared housing Supportive housing (similar to assisted living)

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services OUTDOOR SPACES & BUILDINGS committee of nearly 10 individuals Adopt-a-Park program Park Directory Need for indoor walking options for year round walking Sidewalks are uneven . Especially for wheelchairs and walkers Need benches in parks that dont have them already and in business districts throughout Evanston Insufficient lighting in certain areas Free Wi-Fi in four subsidized housing buildings Evanston Bike Safety

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services TRANSPORTATION committee of nearly 10 individuals Biggest need is medical visit transportation Concerns with the taxi program Current design to get in/out Evanston not around Evanston East / west travel is difficult East of Chicago Ave has lack of transportation Bus #93 does not run on Emerson on Sundays and limited on Saturday Drivers not always stopping at crosswalks Bike lanes have caused confusion for many

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services SOCIAL PARTICIPATION CIVIC PARTICIPATION & EMPLOYMENT RESPECT & SOCIAL INCLUSION Their preliminary findings .. Need more information about activities (communication) Need to get there (transportation) Cost of activities are prohibitive for some Educate youth to respect older adults Most feel safe concerned about the El stations, lack of elevators Employment: more for young people!

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services COMMUNITY SUPPORT & HEALTH SERVICES Outreach at St. Nicholas Church, Evanston Need for coordinated social services in Evanston! Established Advisory Committee* to Community Support & Health Services to establish links with health care and social service providers Duplication of services vs greater need Hospital senior services moved from Evanston More geriatricians needed in Evanston Only Presence Health accepts Medicaid for Psychiatry - * Ellen Browne, Jessica Feldman, Sandi Johnson, Connie Wood and Irene Pierce

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION This committee of 4 participants Technology is not for all yet! 311, texting, website Levy Center Foster Club Condo Association Boards, Neighborhood Watch Groups Evanston Roundtable Evanston Review Evanston Now Evanston Public Library Word of mouth

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services SCHEDULE Years 1 and 2: Dec 2014 - 2016 ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOP PLAN The survey will be out March 1st Develop action plan Years 3, 4 and 5: Dec 2016 2019 IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION Oversee the implementation of the action plan approved by the City Council. Continual improvement

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Parks, Recreation and Community Services AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON! Top Three Priorities Housing Transportation Coordinated Social Services