Category Archives: Intentional Communities

You [Upstate South Carolina] are already on the map. What you have already done has given you success and over the next five years you are going to see growth on an accelerated timeline. You are going to see a different wave of growth like you have never seen. Richard Florida during the Ten at the Top Upstate Summit on May 10.

We have heard the projections and seen some of the subtle signs of how the Upstate is growing for years, but when we hear a prediction of how the region is poised to grow put in such descriptively blunt terms by one of the leading urbanists in the country, it somehow seems a little more real (and perhaps scary).

According to Florida, one outcome of the pandemic is that areas like the Upstate are becoming more attractive to people who previously were migrating to larger cities like Chicago, New York and Atlanta.

What do people want? They want an affordable place with great community, lots to do outside with a preference for lakes and mountains, but with enough restaurants and things to do to sustain them, Florida said while noting that the Upstate has all of those characteristics.

Florida suggests that for the Upstate to be prepared for the coming growth, the region must continue to build on the strategies and plans that have been developed over the last decade while remaining authentic and true to what has made this region a special place to live, work and play.

In addition, he emphasized the importance of maintaining and building connections and in growing opportunities for all residents.

Connecting is what fuels us, feeds us, Florida said. You must be purposeful and intentional about making connections across class, racial groups, economic groups. [As a community with lots of international growth], you have to be proactive in integrating new people into your community.

When I was recruited to become the first full-time employee of Ten at the Top in 2009, the discussions I had with Upstate leaders was never about doing things to create growth; even at that time it was well established that population growth was coming. Ten at the Top and other organizations focused on specific elements of growth in the region have worked for more than a decade to help communities, businesses and organizations in the region strategically prepare for that growth so that our region is able to advance because of the positive elements of growth, rather than being dragged down by the unintended consequences.

Richard Florida has given us a very clear warning that it is now time to accelerate our efforts because the timeline for growth has also accelerated. Now it is up to all of us to heed his message and make the strategic investments and decisions needed to ensure the Upstate remains a leading place to live, learn, do business and raise a family for generations to come.

Dean Hybl is executive director of Ten at the Top, an organization focused on building collaborative partnerships across the Upstate on issues that impact economic vitality and quality of life in the region. You can learn more about Ten at the Top at http://www.tenatthetop.org.

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Views from the Top: The growth wave is coming. Are we ready? - UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL - Upstate Business Journal

James Allen once stated, Adversity does not build character, it reveals it.

When we process this quote and then look at our leaders and elected officials, it makes you wonder if we see their authentic character or a caricature of who they want us to believe they are.

This past month has been filled with many atrocities that have shaken our country. Everyone has a different response to trauma, anger and sadness. However, how our leaders respond in times like these truly reveals their character.

On a national level, when we hear of a tragic mass shooting, many people cannot wait to point to where the perpetrator leaned or aligned politically, shifting blame almost immediately to the side of the aisle in which they claim the shooter falls. We also see politicians using national acts of terror to commandeer conversations and hold press conferences to assert their view and disdain for the current leadership.

On a local levelin our backyarda Facebook exchange between a mayor and another Facebook user became the focus of a lot of attention. After previously condemning another councilor for using an expletive, the mayor used an array of unprofessional expletives to express her outrage toward the mass shooting in Texas. This left some residents upset and shocked by this display of unhinged emotion.

Our society has become so divided on issues that impact all of us, and no one is listening. We are always looking for a singular villain to blame. The tribalism in politics has perpetuated this polarization that creates monologues in place of dialogue.

Our society focuses on this idea of us versus them instead of what we can do together. It is comfortable, and dare I say, safe, to sit in the silos of sameness and discuss the ills of our state or our country with people who agree with you. However, it is more transformational to come together and speak about issues that are impacting all of us with people who have differing thoughts or opinions.

Building common ground and finding a place of unity without uniformity should be our overarching goal. Our basic understanding that there is no panacea for repairing the issues we are currently facing is vital to moving the needle forward. It is not just one persons responsibility to make changes, but a communal effort.

In our current climate, many conversations will be centered on what we could have done to prevent these atrocities instead of what we need to do in order to stop these rash acts of violence. You will unearth an abundance of business leaders, politicians and community members who are pointing fingers, demonizing and blaming each other, but it is important to not give them your attention.

Find and focus on the leaders who are convening stakeholders from all walks of life, communities, industries and professions to create comprehensive change together.

I will be looking for the leaders who assemble and have conversations with all viewpoints, embodying the we needed to progress.

The content of our character will be on display.

So let us be intentional about making sure our behavior is worthy of the attention we will receive.

__________

Yates is director of diversity for the Indiana Republican Party, a political commentator and a law degree candidate. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.

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Whitley Yates: Avoid 'us' versus 'them,' instead think 'we' Indianapolis Business Journal - Indianapolis Business Journal

The inclusion training will be developed in partnership with HospitableMe and will be available to any bar or restaurant free of charge.

FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, New Belgium announced the next phase of its ongoing commitment to uplift and support communities often left out of the craft beer community with the Poured for All Initiative a year-round investment to provide pathways for more spaces, including bars and restaurants that serve New Belgium beer, to become more welcoming and inclusive for all.

In partnership with DEI training provider HospitableMe, New Belgium is developing a completely free, first-of-its-kind inclusivity training with the goal of building more inclusive and welcoming environments in thousands of bars and restaurants, including those that serve beers from New Belgium and Bell's Brewery (which recently combined with New Belgium). This includes New Belgium and Bell's own taproom coworkers, who will receive the training as soon as it's ready.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated an already alarming decline in welcoming spaces for marginalized groups for example, the rapid decline in LGBTQ+ bars. In the 1980s there were an estimated 200 lesbian bars, but that number is now down to 15, per NBC and other news sources. With its Poured for All Initiative, New Belgium and HospitableMe will develop and promote a custom training that empowers hospitality staff to better understand and exhibit inclusive behaviors that foster a truly welcoming space for all identities, including people with LGBTQ+, BIPOC and intersectional identities who are currently underrepresented in craft beer spaces and elsewhere.

"For more than 30 years, New Belgium has invested deeply in coworker and community wellbeing, seeking to be intentional about hearing our most underrepresented perspectives. In that spirit, we've approached beer with the commitment to be 'brewed for all,'" said Courtney Simmons, New Belgium Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. "But we have work to do in scrutinizing whether all the spaces we drink beer are truly welcoming for members of marginalized groups. This initiative is about putting our resources to work in fostering more welcoming bars and restaurants across the country with the lowest possible barriers to access."

The training, which complements existing bystander intervention training from organizations like Safe Bars and will be available for free on Hospitable Me's seamless digital platform, will combine simple but critical lessons with personal stories to enable any bar or restaurant staff member to better understand experiences of their underrepresented patrons and to help foster a truly welcoming and inclusive experience for people of all backgrounds and identities. Once the training is released in the coming months, establishments that train their entire staff will receive a digital certificate and optional window cling to help promote their commitment to inclusivity.

"We're excited to partner with New Belgium Brewing, a craft beer pioneer and leader in inclusivity to create this groundbreaking training. As a leading global provider of strategy and education for inclusive hospitality, HospitableMe looks for projects that have a tangible impact on LGBTQ+ and other historically excluded communities. Because this training will be accessible to all companies at no cost, it will have positive impacts reaching far beyond just New Belgium's walls as we seek to make bars and restaurants more inclusive and welcoming for people everywhere," said Billy Kolber, CEO and Co-founder of HospitableMe.

In addition to the Poured for All Initiative, New Belgium is re-releasing its Biere de Queer purple ale, with all proceeds benefitting local LGBTQ+ organizations in our home communities including Blue Ridge Pride in Asheville, NoCo Equality in Fort Collins, and Frameline in San Francisco. New Belgium is also raising awareness on how to be a good LGBTQ+ ally and conscious consumer during Pride and all year long with the New Belgium Guide to Rainbow Washing. For every social media share the guide receives, New Belgium will donate $1 (up to $50,000) to the Equality Federation, an advocacy accelerator rooted in social justice, building power in its network of state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations combating anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

"As a longtime DEI practitioner in the brewing and hospitality industries, I know how critical it is to create and maintain welcoming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate and have a beer during Pride and beyond," said Dr. J Jackson-Beckham, President of the Board of Safe Bars and Equity & Inclusion Partner for the Brewers Association. "New Belgium's training will be a great complement to the bystander intervention work we do at Safe Bars. I'm thrilled to see New Belgium continue to lead the craft industry by example."

"We're proud of Asheville's strong culture of inclusivity toward residents and visitors alike, and New Belgium has consistently shown us they share these values through their presence in our community," said Kit Cramer, President and CEO, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. "But we also share a constant drive to do better, and New Belgium's training will be a hugely helpful asset to bars and restaurants across North Carolina and the entire country. Asheville will be more welcoming, and our local businesses stronger and more inclusive, because of New Belgium's investment."

New Belgium has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ communities for more than 30 years, and was proud to be the first craft brewer to receive a perfect score of 100 on HRC's Corporate Equality Index and the first craft brewer to be recognized on HRC's Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. With a commitmentto continuously learn, grow, and improve, the company recently expanded its DEI leadership by hiring DEI Director Courtney Simmons, who brings deep experience in the corporate and nonprofit sectors, to lead this work across New Belgium and Bell's.Diversity, equity and inclusion practices play a central role in New Belgium's Human Powered Business model, based on the idea that deep and consistent investments for the benefit of coworkers and communities produces better business results in the long term.

The training will be available beginning in the Fall of 2022, and businesses interested in participating can click here to pledge to join the Poured for All Initiative.

SOURCE New Belgium Brewing

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New Belgium Launches 'Poured for All Initiative' - An Investment to Make Every Craft Beer Space More Welcoming & Inclusive for All - PR Newswire

Team of Experts Selected to Transform Whittier's Uptown District

WHITTIER, Calif., June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The members of Uptown Community Partnersconsisting of City Ventures, Thomas Safran & Associates, Gentefy, and SVA Architectsare celebrating their team's selection to enter into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the City of Whittier, CA. The agreement will cover eight (8) City-owned properties totaling 6.4 acres north of Philadelphia Street and west of Bright Avenue, including the former Alpha Beta grocery store property. The ENA will be negotiated over a six-month period. Uptown Community Partners' plan will transform the sites into much-needed housing, open space, retail, and replacement parking designed to facilitate human connection and foster a thriving community.

Whittier Development Plan

Uptown Community Partners' plan for the redeveloped sites in Whittier, CA features 344 new market-rate and affordable homes, including 229 for-sale units and 115 low- and very low-income rental apartments. These multi-family communities will range from three (3) to five (5) stories above ground. The plan also includes 5,000 square feet of commercial development and 251 parking stalls. Enhancements at the pedestrian scale will allow residents and visitors to experience the food, art, and nature woven into the community fabric.

For-Sale Housing by City Ventures

Building the much-lauded, for-sale housing in Uptown Whittier will be City Ventures. City Ventures is a rapidly growing California homebuilder which repositions underutilized real estate into residential housing. It focuses on the construction of townhomes, condominiums, lofts, mixed-use, live-work and single-family detached homes in the Southern and Northern California coastal urban infill neighborhoods. City Ventures is based in San Francisco and Irvine, and currently owns and controls over 8,000 lots in California.

Ryan Aeh, Senior Vice President for City Ventures, states, "City Ventures has a long track record of successful public/private partnerships with local cities, and we're thrilled the City of Whittier has selected us to help revitalize Uptown Whittier and provide much needed new for-sale housing."

For more information about City Ventures, visit http://www.cityventures.com.

Affordable Housing by Thomas Safran & Associates

Leading Whittier's affordable housing component is Thomas Safran & Associates. Thomas Safran & Associates has developed over 6,000 units of luxury, affordable, and mixed-use rental housing in Southern California. For over 40 years, the company has specialized in developing and managing high-quality properties, many of which have won prestigious awards. Thomas Safran & Associates is committed to providing superior design, maintaining its properties to the highest standards, and enriching the lives of its residents.

Jordan Pynes, President of Thomas Safran & Associates, says, "TSA currently owns and operates two affordable housing communities in Whittier. We are delighted to continue this important work with the City and community to provide much needed affordable housing in Whittier."

For more information about Thomas Safran & Associates, visit http://www.tsahousing.com.

Innovative Community Space at Uptown Square by Gentefy

Uptown Square will consist of seven permanent micro-kitchens for local businesses, a performance stage, a large courtyard, and substantial programming. Similar to Gentefy's highly successful BLVD MRKT development in Montebello, three of the seven restaurants will be allocated for business incubation purposes, and will house underrepresented minorities from the local community who face socio-economic barriers that prevent them from opening a restaurant. Gentefy's mission is to act as a catalyst for community-driven economic development. The company creates products and services that increase entrepreneurial activity and foster economic empowerment within marginalized Hispanic communities.

For more information about Gentefy, visit http://www.linkedin.com/company/gentefy/about/.

Design by SVA Architects

Overseeing all aspects of the conceptual design is SVA Architects. Founded in 2003, SVA Architects has become one of the Country's most innovative and respected design and planning organizations. The award-winning firm specializes in urban planning, architecture, and interior design of public, private, and mixed-use projects. Among the firm's portfolio are civic, educational, residential, commercial and mixed-use developments. SVA Architects values institutional and public environments as the foundation of a community and the backdrop against which we live, learn, work, worship, and play. The company is headquartered in Santa Ana with offices in Oakland, San Diego, Davis, and Honolulu.

Ernesto M. Vasquez, FAIA, CEO of SVA Architects, says, "One of the exciting opportunities for the Whittier developmentwith multiple sites spread throughout the areais the mission to create intentional spaces between buildings. We can create pedestrian corridors and cohesion from the street-level. Wide sidewalks will be activated with public art, landscaping, and gathering spaces, allowing Uptown to become a place of human connection where community is built. We envision the Uptown district becoming the jewel of Whittier."

For more information about SVA Architects, visit http://www.sva-architects.com.

Media Contact: Beth BingerBCIMobile: (619) 987-6658[emailprotected]

SOURCE Uptown Community Partners

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Uptown Community Partners Selected for Exclusive Negotiating Agreement for 6+ Acres in Whittier, CA - PR Newswire

Thursday nights gubernatorial debate at University of Tennessee at Martin, which saw the attendance of three candidates for the Democratic nomination for governor and four candidates for the Congressional District 8 seat, was rife with a unified passion for change and equal amounts of disagreement on how to achieve such change.

The two debates were the third of their kind in a series of debates presented in partnership with the University of Tennessee System and the USA TODAY Network.

Attending for the Democratic nomination for governor were Dr. Carnita Atwater of Memphis, Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville and Councilman JB Smiley of Memphis.

Topics ranged from the state of education rates within Tennessee, to Blue Oval City Development and gun safety, particularly in the face of recent mass shootings such as the Uvalde, Texas shooting.

In a question that seemed to resonate heavily with the gathered crowd of college students, candidates were asked about the crisis of falling collegiate education rates in the state. Each candidate agreed that a heavier emphasis needs to be placed on trade skills, though their answer for traditional higher education accessibility varied.

Martin, who specifically mentions the burden of student loans on his campaign website, advocated for financially affordable for options for students.

People are often discouraged against higher education because they dont want to be saddled with student loans, he said. We need to make sure were running a lean and efficient cost-effective system for students in Tennessee.

Smiley disagreed that it was a crisis, explaining that the traditional path is not right for everyone.

I think we do ourselves a disservice when we say that every person is going to go to college, Smiley said. We need to invest in (trade) programs…. If folks do decide to purse high education, we need to make sure those programs are affordable and attainable.

Atwater refuted Smileys statement of the lack of crisis, and placed heavier emphasis on the involvement of youth in education.

I think we do have a crisis in higher education, she said. I think if higher education went to middle schools and started a program…I think we could recruit people at an early age. I also think universities should have partnerships with trade schools.

Candidates also expressed strong opposition to Governor Bill Lees continued support of the Education Savings Account voucher program, which gives families in Shelby and Davidson County taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools.

I am 150% for public schools, Atwater said. I would not support them. I find it ironic that Gov. Lee would support school vouchers when he did not release$730 million for Tennessee Assistance for Needy Families funding. I think thats hypocritical.

More: Report: Tennessee has $730 million in unused block grant funds for poor working families

Martin stated firmly that the voucher programs were weapons against public schools, and that they needed to be off the books.

Lee has waged war against public education his entire term in office, Martin said. Whether it's working to politicize school boards, firing teachers for teaching American history as it happened, or going after librarians and not speaking out against the burning of textbooks, this program is just another weapon hes using to defund and weaken our public school system and we need to stand up against it.

Smiley agreed.

This administration has been hell-bent on destroying funds for public education, he said. Theyre attempting to make private school with public funding. Thats not how are funds are supposed to be spent.

Candidates expressed careful support for the Blue Oval City development, which will see the creation of the highly-anticipated Ford electric vehicle plant in Stanton.

More: Jackson Chamber talks initiatives, excitement for Blue Oval City changes

Im all for economic development, but not on the backs of the taxpayers, Atwater said. I think we need to considerbefore any corporation comes to our citiesI think we need to have a community engagement agreement so people will have some type of benefit when they come to their community. I do not believe that we should give tax incentives to large corporations without accountability.

Martin stated his support for the plan, expressing appreciation for the stipulations of the deal.

I fully support whats going on in Blue Oval City and the development in West Tennessee, he said. It will be so transformative for the region and Im really glad that the General Assembly was able to build some claw-backs into the agreementessentially, if they dont meet their end of the deal, they dont get those incentives and the money comes back to the taxpayers of Tennessee.

Smiley took a different route, stating his support but also his hesitance in the face of the recent legal issues surrounding the town of Mason.

I think economic development in relation to Blue Oval City is amazing, he said. However, I want to acknowledge the fact that there is a city not too far from here that was in the direct path of Blue Oval City called Mason, Tennessee. And for some reason, our state government attempted to take their charter. It wasnt because they were illegitimately handling their financesit was because our state wanted to keep their foot on the necks of marginalized communities.

That type of leadership should not be tolerated. Everyone should be up in arms when our state comes to small communities and (takes control). Were all for economic development, but we dont want to overly insensitive larger corporations to come to our town. We want to give equal incentives to our small communities so they can scale up.

More: State comptroller to take over Town of Mason's finances, citing decades of mismanagement

When asked about the recent executive order signed by Gov. Lee to strengthen accountability and transparency around existing school safety, candidates decried the lack of reasonable action in light of the recent riseand long-standing issueof mass shooting violence.

More: Gov. Bill Lee signs executive order on school safety, but quiet on gun control

I think for Gov. Lee to not address the gun control of Tennessee is a blatant oversight, Martin said. "I think we need to make sure that yesschools have access to School Resource Officers. Yes, we need to examine our entrance points to make sure that is as controlled as it can be, but we also need to talk about the fact Gov. Lee is wrong about guns in Tennessee.

Martin went on to explain that Lees passage of permit-less carry was a blatant disregard of advice from state officials and an oversight.

Permit-less carry gave a decades-long practice of having a background check and a basic level of safety training away from having a permit, he said. If someone is around you with a concealed weapon, dont you want to know that theyve had a background check and a decent level of training?

Smiley disagreed that the law was an oversight, and called it an intentional omission.

(Lee) spent the whole time talking about how he was going to make schools safe, but he did not acknowledge the fact that there are funs out there, there are people out there with ill intent to come in our schools to make them unsafe for a lot of people, Smiley said, stating his support for the immediate return of background checks and an outright ban on assault rifles.

They have no place in civilized society. They are killing weapons and we need to get rid of them….We have to call it outwe cannot ignore guns.

Atwater advocated for a comprehensive crime prevention plan, to address gun safety.

I see where the governor is coming from, but I think its a little too late, she said. We need to stop playing games and get to the meat of the matter.

Candidates concluded their discussion with closing statements.

Smiley expressed his appreciation for the number of young people in the room.

Im so eager, so happy to see all of you here, he said. Im just like youI saw a need in my community and want to use my skills and everything I have to do something about it...the same passion I put into my current work in Memphis, I will bring forward to the state of Tennessee.

Martin placed emphasis on the need for the people of Tennessee to come together.

Im new to politics….but the biggest lesson Ive taken away from this process is that there is so much more bringing us together than that which divides us. We all want good healthcare, good schools for our kids, a good job, a chance to have a productive future. Thats what were fighting for….no matter who you are, Tennessee should be the land of opportunity for us all.

Atwater reiterated her boots on the ground stance to change in her campaign.

I want to take my spirit of humanity into the capitol, she said. I want to address poverty, economic disparities, healthcare disparities, homelessnesswhich is very close to my heartand I want to be a unique governor. I have a proven record of being a servant of the people.

Early voting begins on July 15th, with the primary election on August 4th.

Voter registration is due by July 5th. Registration can be done online at ovr.govote.tn.gov.

Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or followher on Twitter at @angele_latham.

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Democratic governor candidates debate issues of education, gun safety and Blue Oval City and UT Martin - The Jackson Sun

Does "aging in place" mean independence or loneliness?

Aging-in-Place most of us think of this as the decision, as we get older, to stay in our longtime family homes, even as increasing infirmity or cognitive decline makes this harder. We know there are support programs available, providing home health aides, assistance with yardwork or a wheelchair ramp, a senior freeze to keep property tax increases at bay, and so on. And our homes hold so many memories and are a source of affirmation of the success weve had in our lives.

But is aging-in-place really the right decision? Or, put another way, does it work? Is it the right path for us all to take as we age, or would we be better off if we moved somewhere more suitable a single-level house, or a condo in an elevator building, or a home near public transportation, or any of the communities designed for older adults? Would we miss our neighbors in our old communities, or quickly adapt and be glad wed gotten past our hesitancy?

In the book Aging in the Right Place from 2015, author Stephen Golant provides a number of reasons why that right place might be the longtime family home:

The advantages of a familiar neighborhood: the individual knows the shops and services and can navigate the area well even after physical or cognitive decline.

The advantages of a familiar home: spatial competence (finding your way when the power goes out, navigating steps out of familiarity)

Preserving familiar relationships friendships and service providers.

The attachment to possessions and pets is not disrupted (e.g., vs. moving to no-pets home); the home not only contains memories of the past but also reminders of past successes.

The home affirms ones self-worth; one fears (whether rightly or wrongly) that others will consider the person a retirement failure upon moving.

Maintaining privacy, vs. moving from a single-family home to an apartment, or to Assisted Living, shared housing, or living with family.

At the same time, there are many quite considerable costs incurred in Aging in Place, not just direct financial costs, for which we can argue about whether the government should shoulder these, but less tangible costs:

Financial costs: the cost burden of maintaining large older home with yard vs. smaller but newer space with maintenance covered by association/landlord

Physical costs: the steps/stairs and narrow doorways can make home a prison for the physically-impaired or place the individual at risk of falls.

Social costs: the idealized neighborhood relationships might not be real, and turnover in the neighborhood may mean that there is more likelihood of social connection with the intentional social opportunities of a senior community.

Health costs: isolation can mean lacking help for medical emergency even to the point of dying unnoticed. More mundanely, homebound seniors have less ability to cook healthy food, travel to doctors, etc.

Finally, there are particular challenges for those experiencing cognitive decline, especially when there is no family member to notice or when decline is hard-to-notice.

Golant doesnt beat around the bush, but writes that

Older adults are now bombarded with a singular and unrelenting message: They should cope with their age-related health problems and impairments in their familiar dwellings. . . . Older people cannot turn on a TV, search n the Internet, read books about old age, or pick up a newspaper without getting this persistent stay-at-home message (p. 63).

In a somewhat older article, in 2009, William H. Thomas and Janice M. Blanchard offered a sharp critique of the Aging in Place model, in Moving Beyond Place: Aging in Community. They acknowledge the fear of nursing homes but write

The bitter truth is that an older person can succeed at remaining in her or his own home and still live a life as empty and difficult as that experienced by nursing home residents. Feeling compelled to stay in ones home, no matter what, can result in dwindling choices and mounting levels of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.

This is a stark message. But heres an even more discouraging problem: in my research on the issue, I encountered one repeated refrain. There is no solid scholarly research which asks the question: which choice is the better one, in terms of future quality of life, to stay or to move? Its not an easy question, to be sure: simply looking at the quality of life of the elderly and comparing those who live in single-family homes vs. various kinds of elder-friendly housing would not adequately distinguish between those who moved due to some sort of health problem and those who moved with the aim of preventing future health problems, for example. But theres a data source that scholars have mined creatively to answer all manner of questions about retirement and aging, the Health and Retirement Study, and economists and similar researchers have been very creative in identifying quasi-experiments to answer this sort of question.

Discouragingly, though, given the relentless policy advocacy of supports for aging-in-place, it seems rather likely that this advocacy has discouraged researchers from considering that question in their research, depriving us all of what would otherwise be rather important information.

As always, youre invited to comment at JaneTheActuary.com!

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Does Aging-In-Place Work? What We Don't Know Can Hurt Us. - Forbes

Quincy, MA- Rockland Trust announced that it provided $11.2 million in financing to Father Bills & MainSpring (FBMS) for the construction of a new state of the art facility in Quincy that will include a day center with wraparound supports, 75 emergency shelter beds, plus 30 units of 100% affordable housing.

Rockland Trust will also be purchasing the federal and state tax credits associated with the project through a Fund managed by Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation.

Rockland Trust is honored to work with FBMS and the City of Quincy on the Yawkey Housing Resource Center, said John Quintal, First Vice President, and Boston Lending Center Manager at Rockland Trust. We strongly believe in the innovative approach undertaken by FBMS to address the issue of homelessness.

Rockland Trust is a critical partner in our work to make the Yawkey Housing Resource Center a reality, said John Yazwinski, President & CEO at Father Bills & MainSpring. We are grateful for their multi-faceted commitment to our work through financing, purchasing of tax credits, and a significant charitable contribution from their Foundation which will better support individuals experiencing homelessness across the South Shore.

The City of Quincy acquired the land for the new project on FBMS behalf and furnished the 99-year land lease. The multi-use facility will be located at 39 Broad Street, directly across from the existing Father Bills Place in Quincy. Once the project is complete, the existing location will be demolished to make way for a new police station, administrative offices for the fire department, and headquarters for emergency operations.

We are grateful to business leaders like Rockland Trust, who are intentional about investing back into their communities through projects such as the Yawkey Housing Resource Center, said Nina Liang, Quincy City Councilor. When we are facing problems that affect all of us, it takes purposeful collaborations to address such serious needs. Their support of this project is critical in helping the most vulnerable individuals in our city find stability and work toward self-sufficiency.

Phase one of the FBMS project entails the construction of the two-story 16,000 SF Housing Resource Center (HRC) building which, in addition to 75 shelter beds, will provide healthcare, meal services, young adult services, education services, veteran services, and substance abuse treatment in collaboration with local community partners. Phase two of the project will be the construction of the apartment property featuring 30 affordable housing units for individuals transitioning out of HRC.

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Father Bills & MainSpring Receives $11.2 Million in Financing from Rockland Trust for the Construction of the Housing Resource Center in Quincy -...

A small Fruitvale contingent attended the Inclusion BC 2022 Conference in Surrey and returned home hoping to light a fire under local government.

Ben Postmus and his daughter Kayleigh Postmus attended the conference along with more than 600 people from May 26-28, with the central theme: Everybody Belongs.

Kayleigh, a 33-year-old woman living with disabilities, is incredibly resilient, unbelievably positive, and a staunch advocate for inclusion and acceptance.

It was a lot of fun, Kayleigh told the Trail Times. Dancing was fun and the dinner was amazing. The organizers put on a great conference, it was amazing and the beds were comfy.

Kayleigh Postmus

The three-day conference highlighted a number of keynote speakers and breakout sessions that included seminars on self-advocacy, housing, supportive employment, education, health, digital literacy, friendship and engaging people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, sexual health, and much more.

Kayleigh also led a seminar with her peers, where she shared one of her favourite moments about a special trip with her family.

It was called Speak, Share, Laugh about speaking and sharing moments about us, people with disabilities, and what we do for fun, said Kayleigh. So I talked about Alaska, my Alaskan cruise.

Kayleigh also sits on a community council in partnership with Community Living BC (CLBC), and family members and advocates from the East and West Kootenays. As the only attendees from Greater Trail, she says the conference provided invaluable information that she looks forward to sharing with the council and others.

I can bring back the housing that people want to live in houses, they want jobs, people want to have boyfriends and have relationships and friends and learn how to advocate for themselves too, said Kayleigh.

While many municipalities have actively engaged and implemented inclusion supports and services, some local governments have been slow to respond.

Comparing to what many communities are doing, we have a lot of work to do here with regards to supportive employment, with regards to inclusive housing, intentional communities, and with regards to how folks with disabilities are perceived in the community, said Ben.

He points to communities like Nelson and Port Alberni that have raised the bar on inclusive housing, and taken the initiative on providing property, funds, supports and guidance on inclusive community housing.

They are doing as much as they can for free to get the fire going on inclusive housing and intentional communities, Ben said. It is an amazing model, and there are so many other amazing models in other communities as well just not Trail.

They have had many opportunities to look at them and they are not.

Video: Laurens Story

As a coordinator for Family Supports Institute of BC, Postmus is a persistent advocate seeking supports from municipal governments and community groups, yet, realizes the will and resources are not always equal.

The scale is not balanced, there are so many service-rich communities, and so many communities that are not, and ultimately it is on the families to have to go to bat consistently to get the services they need for their family members, said Ben.

He says the Village of Fruitvale is making progress on Phase 1 of the affordable and inclusive housing project on Columbia Gardens Avenue, which will provide housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

More good news came on Monday, May 30, when the province announced that there will be new funding of nearly $5.3M devoted to community inclusion.

The funding will support Reimagining Community Inclusion projects in the priority areas of inclusive housing, employment, health and wellness, inclusive Indigenous services and a community-inclusion innovation fund, which focuses on inclusion projects.

This funding will kick start many good projects that will improve the quality of life for people with developmental disabilities, said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Our partners at the table are fully committed to advancing this complex work, which will ensure our province is a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone.

The Postmus family has been advocating for inclusive supports for decades. If you live in Fruitvale you probably know Kayleigh, and cant help but stop and say Hi! whether its at a Nitehawks game, a local store, or a variety of Special Olympics BC -Trail events.

The conference proved an especially reinvigorating experience that offered some hope and guidance for the family.

For Kayleigh it was tremendous exposure on what she needs to do to advocate for herself for the rest of her life, said Ben.

Along with many others in Greater Trail, Kayleigh is not asking for much, only a chance to live and grow independently.

I do want my own place, she said. Learn how to make my own bed, do my own laundry, and make my own food to live a normal life.

Vancouver will host the World Inclusion Conference in 2023 and expects upwards of 1,000 delegates from across the globe, including Ben and Kayleigh.

Read: Province to fund Fruitvale affordable housing project

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To live a normal life: Fruitvale woman returns from Inclusion conference Rossland News - Rossland News

SILVER SPRING, MD -- Northwood Technical College is joining the 2022 cohort of Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network to holistically advance equity, access, and student success. By joining the ATD Network, Northwood Tech is committing to a tailored engagement in whole-college transformation and gaining access to a nationwide network of peer support and expertise.

Northwood Tech is part of a cohort of seven colleges joining the ATD Network during a time of continued enrollment challenges for two-year institutions across the country, when equitable access and community engagement are more important than ever for the students that colleges serve.

In response to the cohort announcement, John Will, President of Northwood Tech acknowledged, Northwood Technical College is pleased to be a part of the ATD network. There has never been a more important time to ensure were doing everything we can to ensure we are removing barriers to postsecondary success, and Achieving the Dream will help us ensure were prioritizing the right initiatives to support our efforts.

Community colleges, and particularly colleges in the ATD Network, recognize that they serve as engines of opportunity not just for their students, but for the entire communities that they serve, said Dr. Karen A. Stout, President and CEO of Achieving the Dream. ATDs work is centered on equity, and I am excited to see how the new Network colleges in the 2022 cohort start generating transformational change that lifts up their communities and advances the field.

Teams from each of the seven colleges will convene in Charlotte, NC, from June 14 to 16 for a Kickoff Institute that will set the stage for their partnership with ATD. Representatives from Northwood Tech will meet virtually with ATD coaches and begin to develop customized action plans based on Northwood Techs strategic goals.

Northwood Tech, alongside the 2022 cohort of new ATD Network colleges, is committed to tackling equity challenges, building a culture of data-informed decision-making, and maximizing the student experience through high-quality teaching and learning.

Northwood Tech is joining the ATD Network alongside six other institutions:

Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on our expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, we provide institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K-12 partnerships, and more. We call this Whole College Transformation. Our vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable, antiracist, and economically vibrant communities. We know that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers.

See the article here:

Northwood Technical College Joins Achieving The Dream Network - DrydenWire

Starting local, thinking global

Throughout the full week of Empower, ASU IT community members volunteered with organizations that have missions to better the lives of Arizonans. Areas of support were food donations, technology access for seniors and more.

One such project included hosting workshops with senior residents. There, ASU IT professionals partnered with local seniors to create online grocery shopping accounts. Together, they set up an account and got to shopping using the $10 gift certificate provided to each resident. Seniors also got to ask tech questions about their devices.

It was powerful to see our teams use their skills in the local community, like working with senior residents to better navigate their devices for real-world tasks," said Breanna Smith, event coordinator for Empower. "In doing so, our impact reaches beyond UTO, beyond ASU and into the communities we live and serve."

In addition to local volunteer opportunities, ASUs IT community is advancing a series of initiatives that serve the broader Arizona community.

During Empower, ASU Chief Information Officer Lev Gonick took the stage to share examples of this work in action, starting with the Digital Equity Initiative. In partnership with Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions'Maryvale One Square Mile Initiative, ASUs IT community is helping to bring high-speed, reliable internet access to local families in Phoenix through the use of millimeter wave technology.

Gonick also shared projects like the universitysuse of chatbotsto enhance students interactions when, for instance, seeking financial aid information. He announced theT4 Leadership Academy, which cultivates IT leaders who are globally engaged and locally attuned to the role of technology for social benefit and invested in designing the intergenerational workforce of the future.

Then a panel of six ASU, industry and local leaders took the stage to expand upon the theme of community, diving into their shared and unique experiences across the workforce.

Neal Lester, founding director of Project Humanities at ASU, challenged participants to disrupt the notion of the community and realize that there are many communities around the world in which we can feel included and part of. He explained that he came to that realization when he saw places where he was included, but felt excluded or invisible.

So, community is when I felt and knew that I was connected and being heard and being seen, said Lester.

With a greater and more diverse definition of community shared by the panelists, teams were primed to tackle eight IT areas to transform society. Spanning digital trust, communications, data architecture and learning technologies, the topics focused on:

Panelist and ASU Chief Research Information Officer Sean Dudley contextualized the development of helpful technology within these spheres at the university.

For those of us who are proficient in technology, we can lose sight of some of the basics, which can truly be transformative for people, Dudley said, adding that innovation must be human-centered and not just for the sake of technical improvements.

For example, as Debbie Esparza, chief executive officer of YMCA Metropolitan Phoenix, put it in regards to YWCAs Meals on Wheels program, there was an assumption seniors couldnt access technology. But that assumption was wrong, and new technology interfaces have been implemented as a result.

When it comes to creating a sense of community for ASUs IT professionals, its about creating an environment where all feel empowered.

We are intentional about the way that we designed the (ASU IT) community, the way we actionalize and operationalize the community, and find ways to sustain the community, Gonick said.

The Empower event turns this notion into action for the ASU IT community.

Teams spent the second half of the day connecting with colleagues and developing new ideas around the eight focus areas duringWorld Cafe-style discussions. The World Cafe Method pulls from integrated design principles that make discussion simple and effective for large group conversations.

It was an excellent opportunity to engage with so many amazing colleagues across our community, said Eddie Garcia, director of law information technology for the Sandra Day OConnor College of Law at ASU. I truly enjoyed this humanizing and thought-provoking event.

For the past five years, the University Technology Office has hosted the annual event to give Sun Devils time to foster a stronger sense of community amongst the universitys IT network. This fifth Empower emphasized that connection, as more than 500 Sun Devils joined together last week at the Student Pavilion on Tempe campus.

When asked what community means to them, ASUs IT professionals used words like belonging, equality, respect, happiness, connection and kindness. By exploring IT themes through the lens of human impact, teams were able to build connections and more closely collaborate to better serve the ASU community and beyond.

Special thanks to the leadership panels:

And to community partners:

Link:

ASU IT event aims to empower communities: Those we serve and those we belong to - ASU News Now