HPD Rolls Out 'Aging In Place' Pilot Initiative

HPD recently announced the full rollout of “Aging in Place,” a new preservation program tool that offers apartment modifications to residents living in buildings undergoing city-financed rehabilitation to increase safety and comfort in the home and reduce the risk of falls. HPD administers multiple financing programs to facilitate the physical and financial sustainability and affordability of privately owned multifamily and owner-occupied buildings, and to rehabilitate formerly publicly owned buildings of varying sizes.

The program was created with the collaboration of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the Department for the Aging (DFTA), and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). Improvements may also be made to common areas of the building used by residents, making this program a holistic approach to increasing safety and allowing residents to age in place more comfortably. 

The Aging In Place initiative augments existing preservation loan programs by requiring building-wide integrated physical needs assessments and resident surveys for individual apartment upgrades. All proposed improvements are informed by best practices in aging-in-place literature and resources from the New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA). Aging in Place Building-wide Assessments may result in:

• Improvements to door hardware in common areas
• Additional handrails throughout the buildings as needed
• Safety evaluation of flooring conditions and materials in common areas
• Evaluation of accessibility in the building intercom systems
• Accessibility and safety evaluation of mail areas  

Individual Apartment Modifications may include:

• Installation of grab bars
• Improved lighting
• Making kitchen shelving easier to reach
• Installation of easy-to-grip door handles
• Slip-resistant flooring

Aging In Place is one component of the “Seniors First” initiative. In October 2017, Mayor de Blasio announced the initiative as a three-pronged strategy to better serve seniors by making more homes accessible to seniors and people with disabilities, build new 100 percent affordable senior homes, and preserve existing senior housing developments. The initiative was launched under the Housing New York 2.0 update. In total, the city doubled its commitment to senior housing over the extended 12-year Housing New York plan, serving 30,000 senior households by 2026.

To learn more about the Aging In Place initiative, click here.