Parks, Recreation and Community Services

AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON!

January 27, 2015

Age Friendly Evanston! Initiatives

Christina FerraroAssistant Director of Community Services

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

Parks, Recreation and Community Services

AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON! TASKFORCEAppointed 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

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

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

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)

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 don’t 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

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

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!

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

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

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

Parks, Recreation and Community Services

AGE FRIENDLY EVANSTON!

Top Three Priorities

Housing

Transportation

Coordinated Social Services