September 19, 2022
Community Housing Partners (CHP), which provides affordable and sustainable housing throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, was recently awarded a 2022 Thome Aging Well grant to support the expansion of health programs for its senior residents in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Thome Aging Well program is a four-year, $19 million initiative from Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) to help older adults living in affordable communities age safely and securely at home. CHP will use the grant to hire a Senior Health Specialist to oversee programs and partnerships supporting the health and well-being of low-income senior residents at CHP’s two Baltimore communities: J. Van Story Branch Apartments and Primrose Place Apartments. (Learn more about health and housing initiatives at CHP.)
“We are thrilled for the opportunity to add focused capacity to expand health programs at one of our senior communities and strengthen relationships with existing partners at another,” said Angie Roberts-Dobbins, Vice President of Resident Services. “One of our strategic goals as an organization is to prioritize the health outcomes of our residents, and our Resident Services team has been intentional about tailoring our health and wellness programs for CHP’s senior populations in recent years. The Enterprise grant will help us have an even bigger impact with this work.”
Funded by the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation, Bank of America trustee, the program awarded $4 million in grants this year to scale aging-in-place initiatives with a track record of success by 16 housing operators and public housing authorities in Maryland and Michigan.
In total, the 2022 Thome Aging Well grants will provide essential support to over 4,000 older adults to help enhance wellbeing, reduce isolation, and allow them to age with dignity in their homes. Best practices learned from the grantees will be shared across the field of affordable and public housing providers serving older adults.
“Far too many adults, especially those with lower incomes, do not have the resources and support they need to continue living comfortably in their homes as they grow older,” said Stephany De Scisciolo, Vice President of Impact, Evaluation, and Population Health at Enterprise. “The programs supported through the Thome Aging Well grants have proved successful at improving the health and wellbeing of older adults and will make an enormous impact on the lives of thousands in Maryland and Michigan. We are honored to partner with such remarkable organizations.”
Last year, CHP partnered with Baltimore area organizations to launch a Health and Wellness Suite on the first floor of CHP’s newly renovated J. Van Story Branch Apartments. This collaboration continues to offer educational opportunities, prevention and screening services, and health and wellness programs for the building’s 350 senior and nonelderly disabled residents. (Learn more about the Health and Wellness Suite.)