Assistance for Low-Income Seniors Looking to Retrofit Their Homes for Safety
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball recently announced the County’s Department of Community Resources & Services’ (DCRS) Office on Aging and Independence (OAI) has been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its Older Adult Home Modification Program (OAHMP). This vital grant helps support critical home modifications for older adults in need.
“We are grateful to HUD for this vital funding that support our continued efforts to develop an age-friendly, livable community, where our 50+ population can confidently, comfortably, safely and independently live and age in place,” said Ball. “At the forefront of our Age-Friendly initiative, I thank our Office on Aging and Independence staff for their efforts to ensure we are able to continue to meet the needs of our older residents.”
OAI’s OAHMP assists low-income, older residents with making low-cost, but impactful modifications to their home designed to enhance accessibility, promote safe mobility, reduce falls, improve functional capacity for activities of daily living, lower hospital readmission rates and minimize the need for more intensive care in nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Residents can take advantage of this grant funding and request an OAHMP home safety consultation by emailing Carly Shilling at cshilling@howardcountymd.gov or calling 410-313-6446.
Additional Howard County’s initiatives to provide a high quality of life for older residents include Ball’s Aging-in-Place tax credit equal to 20 percent of the County tax up to $650,000 of the assessed home value. For older residents who wish to stay in their long-time homes, this tax credit helps make that choice feasible. In 2019, AARP welcomed Howard County to its Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities under Ball’s leadership.
“One of the goals of the state’s multisector plan for aging, Longevity Ready Maryland, is to help Marylanders prepare for longer, healthier lives, and addressing the need for affordable, accessible, and more livable housing helps achieve that goal,” said Carmel Roques, Secretary, Maryland Department of Aging. “I commend the Howard County Office on Aging and Independence and HUD for their commitment to accommodating the changing needs of our aging population and supporting aging-in-place efforts so residents can remain independent in their community of choice.”
“The Older Adult Home Modification Program demonstrates a shift towards collaborative services for older adults. Our department has a long history of being the beneficiary of HUD funding to support our homeless population and we are proud HUD is continuing to invest in us and expand our partnership to serve our older adult community through our Community Living Program,” said Jackie Scott, Director, DCRS. “Studies have shown that every $3,000 spent on home accessibility modifications can yield more than $20,000 in healthcare savings.”
OAI’s OAHMP is part of the office’s Community Living Program (CLP), which provides resources and support for healthy aging in the community. This new grant will allow CLP to increase its capacity to implement a wider range of home modifications.
“This generous HUD grant will significantly enhance our ability to serve our older adults,” said Ofelia Ross Ott, Administrator of Howard County’s OAI. “This is a pivotal moment for us as it underscores HUD’s commitment to supporting aging populations, recognizing the importance of enabling older adults to maintain independence and quality of life in their later years.”
To help assist with carrying out these modifications, OAI has partnered with Rebuilding Together Howard County and other local nonprofits serving the Howard County community.
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