Communities across Bergen and Passaic Counties in north Jersey increasingly demand affordable housing and services to support older adults. The Thriving Together: Building Inclusive Communities initiative has three tasks:

1. Helps older adults access housing
2. Strengthens partnerships between the housing and healthcare organizations
3. Supports municipalities as they plan for an aging population

Through collaboration with county agencies, community organizations, healthcare partners, and municipal leaders, the initiative is developing practical tools and strategies that can improve older adults; lives today while creating models that can be adapted in communities across New Jersey.

Older adults often struggle to find affordable housing, frequently limited by fixed incomes from pensions and Social Security. Information is often scattered across multiple sources, and affordable housing opportunities have waitlists with different timelines. To simplify the process, SHA is establishing a Housing Navigator model for Passaic County seniors. Key to this effort is the monthly Housing Help for Passaic County Seniors newsletter, which connects older adults with current housing opportunities, housing search tools, and other resources while laying the foundation for a sustainable statewide navigation model for NJ counties.

Having a stable home is essential to one’s health and well-being. New Jersey's Medicaid Housing Supports Program helps eligible Medicaid recipients—including older adults—find and maintain stable housing. Through this project, SHA is working with providers, managed care organizations (MCOs), and community partners to increase awareness of the program by sharing educational resources. By building provider knowledge and capacity, this work aims to expand access to housing supports for older adults and other Medicaid recipients in Bergen and Passaic Counties.

Creating communities where older adults can thrive requires collaboration, thoughtful planning, and community support. Through this project, SHA is developing a replicable model that municipalities can use to engage residents and local leaders in conversations about affordable and supportive housing. The goal is to help communities across Bergen and Passaic Counties and beyond build support for housing solutions that enable older adults to age in place and create a model that can be shared with municipalities throughout New Jersey.

For more information about SHA’s Thriving Together: Building Inclusive Communities project, please contact:

Kate Leahy, Thriving Together Project Director
kate.leahy@shanj.org