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Commission discusses age-in-place projects, Home First partnership and home-rehab funding
Summary
Commissioners reviewed partnerships to support housing for older adults and people with disabilities, including a planned mid-September meeting with Home First (IFF division), a potential Zeeland project using technology for age-in-place, and home rehab funding coordinated with Community Action Agency.
The commission discussed efforts to expand housing options for older adults and people with disabilities, including outreach to Home First (a division of IFF) and a potential age-in-place project in Zeeland that would pair design work with assistive technology.
Staff reported a planned mid-September meeting with Dina Bell, executive director of Home First, and Dr. Brashears of CMH to explore demand and partnership opportunities for housing that serves people with disabilities. Commission staff said Home First invests capital to develop housing for disabled populations and that staff asked Home First to consider Ottawa County as a potential area for investment.
Nick and staff described a separate partner, Bruce Thompson, who is working on age-in-place solutions that combine building design and technology. Staff said they will bring those partners together to review the small-footprint plan sets for ADA compliance and to produce an "ADA-compliant" variant of open-source plans.
Commissioners also flagged home-rehab and winterization work administered by the Community Action Agency. Staff said the agency secures multiple grants that fund homeowner repairs and that the county should better understand those funding streams and the agency's personnel structure before considering temporary county funding. Commissioners discussed the agency's request for county support for personnel while grant funding is uncertain (discussed further in the meeting).
No formal action was taken; staff said they will convene the Home First/CMH meeting in mid-September and follow up with design partners to produce ADA-aware plan variants for the commission to review.
