BATH

As more and more residents are wanting to stay in their homes as they age, Bath Housing is making that option more feasible with the launch of a new program.

Community Aging in Place serves seniors and disabled residents in the Bath area by making improvements that prioritize safety and health in their homes.

“We want to demonstrate that small investments in home safety can ultimately improve health outcomes,” Bath Housing Executive Director Debora Keller said on Tuesday.

A slow, roll-out process began last fall, as Bath Housing tested the program, reaching out to various organizations and local authorities before announcing its official launch, said Keller.

Repairs and maintenance projects have also been completed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity 7 Rivers.

“It was a natural collaboration, a natural partnership that came out of work that we were doing and work that Habitat was already doing, and it really came together almost a year and half ago when we were doing our housing needs assessment,” she said.

Keller’s idea for the CAP program stemmed from feedback she had received from focus group participants at the Bath Senior Center during the assessment. In July, the organization was awarded a $156,000 grant to support the new program.

“I think many homeowners have been in their homes for a long time, or many were raised in their homes and they want to stay there as they grow old,” said Bath Housing Program Coordinator Amy Liechty.

This is true of 73-year-old Tolanda Jenks of West Bath, a CAP participant who is still living in the home her father built in 1952.

“Obviously, I’m a lot more comfortable here than I would be anyplace else,” she said. “I grew up here … and they’ve made a chance for me to be able to be here.”

Jenks was very satisfied with the improvements made to her home through the program, which included the removal of glass shower doors and the installation of grab bars and handrails, among others improvements.

“I didn’t think I needed some of what they put in, but I find myself using it,” she said.

Together, Liechty and Joshua Dubois, a maintenance technician at Bath Housing, will walk through homes and speak with residents about repairs and improvements that need to be made.

“The other beauty of this program is that we don’t come with an agenda. We’re really a partner with the homeowner to really customize a work plan that’s going to make their home work better for them,” Liechty said. “Throughout the whole process, it’s a conversation and a dialogue, and the ability to tweak a work plan.”

So far, the most common needs in homes have been smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, grab bars and improved lighting, according to Keller.

But there isn’t necessarily a one size fits all solution to every home.

“Some of them are very creative fixes, but each home is different and each home has its own set of challenges to sometimes work around,” said Habitat’s Development Director Kathy Smith.

She also noted how the quality of homes have impacted individuals and their role in the community.

“Some of the folks’ homes we go to, they can’t even get out of their homes because of their changing health, and we’ve been able to help them get out into the world again,” she said. “But the whole thing about having sustainable, affordable housing that works for people makes them healthier and it makes our whole community healthier.”

Additional challenges to the program may also present at the state level, as Gov. Paul LePage has yet to release $15 million in voter-approved senior housing bonds designated for older residents in need of affordable housing.

Keller noted that $500,000 of the bond was to be set aside to support programs like CAP, and to help other communities start up or expand on their programs.

She spoke further on why this need is significant in the community.

“It’s so simple, and it’s such a simple program,” Keller said. “It’s really a no brainer. For less than $1,000 per house, we can really help make an impact in somebody’s life. And I say this all the time, but we can’t build our way out of this problem. It has to be a two-pronged approach. We have to be building more high quality, efficient accessible apartments, but we also have to be doing this to keep people in their home.”

So far, it appears that community members also agree.

“The overwhelming response is a very simple thank you,” she said. “We’ve heard it in many forms.”

For more information on the CAP program, call (207) 443-3116 or visit bathhousing.org.

dkim@timesrecord.com