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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-15-011 - Age Friendly Communities Grant Staff Report I rTC'.�► t .R Community Services Department wwwkitchener.ca REPORT TO: Community and Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: March 9, 2015 SUBMITTED BY: Mark Hildebrand, Director Community Programs and Services, 519-741-2200, extension 7687 PREPARED BY: Bethany Pearce, Supervisor Older Adult Services, 519-741-2200 ext. 5081 WARD(S) INVOLVED: All DATE OF REPORT: February 20, 2015 REPORT NO.: CSD-15-011 SUBJECT: Age-Friendly Communities Grant RECOMMENDATION: That the invitation from the Province of Ontario to participate in the Age-Friendly Community Planning strategy be accepted; and, That the City of Kitchener Corporate Age-Friendly Community Planning Initiative implementation plan, as outlined in report CSD-15-011, be endorsed; and, That both recommendations be subject to the City of Kitchener successfully obtaining grant funding for this initiative from the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat. BACKGROUND: The Ontario Seniors' Secretariat formally invited the City of Kitchener to participate in an Age-Friendly Communities Initiative. They encouraged the Corporation to submit a grant application to the Age Friendly Community Planning Grant program. This grant was developed by the province to support local governments with strategic planning, focusing on seniors. Through the development, implementation and evaluation of local aging plans, communities will become more age-friendly, ensuring the needs of seniors are considered at every stage of community planning and development. Age-friendly initiatives allow older adults to age actively, live safely, enjoy good health and to participate fully in civic life. Local governments that plan and take action to accommodate the changing needs of older residents can ensure that their communities remain attractive places to live with features that not only benefit seniors, but support the health, safety and participation of residents of all ages. *This information is available in accessible formats upon request. Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866- 969-9994 for assistance. 9 - 1 To be considered for provincial funding for this initiative, City Council is required to pass a resolution, by March 31, 2015, to support the activities that lead to the development, implementation and evaluation of a local age-friendly community action plan. REPORT: It is widely known that our community is aging. Based upon 2011 census estimates, individuals aged 50+ represent 31.1% of our population, while those over 65 years represent 12.3% of the population. Projections suggest that by 2031, people over 50 years of age will represent 35.4% (n=108,000) of the population in Kitchener. Those over 65 years will represent approximately 20% of the population (n=61,000). Supporting communities to become age-friendly is one of the ways the Province is working to ensure Ontario communities continue to be healthy, thriving places for families to live, work, learn and play. In an age-friendly community, policies, services, settings and structures are scrutinized and developed to enable older people to age actively by: • Recognizing the wide range of capacities and resources among older adults, • Anticipating and responding flexibly to age-related needs and preferences, • Respecting decisions and lifestyle choices, • Engaging with, and supporting those most vulnerable; and • Promoting inclusion and contribution in all areas of community life. An age-friendly community project is about ensuring that the Corporation of the City of Kitchener is prepared for, and responsive to the needs and interests of an aging community. It includes reviewing and/or implementing policies, services and structures that support and enable older adults to enjoy good health and to continue to participate fully in their community. This age-friendly community project will also assist staff with continuing to address and implement the recommendations resulting from the Older Adult strategy. Proposed Age-Friendly Communities Project Implementation Plan: Considering the components and stakeholders that have an impact on an age-friendly community, the scope of this project could become very broad. For this reason it is important to clearly define the scope and specific objectives of the project prior to launching its development. The Ontario Seniors' Secretariat has developed a guide entitled: Finding the Right Fit- Age-Friendly Community Planning that provides information and best practices guidelines to assist organizations to best to develop an age-friendly initiative in their community. Based upon this information, a high level outline has been developed that would be expanded with input from the community and other stakeholders. Age Friendly Communities Project Implementation Plan 9 - 2 Phase/Timing Action Items Phase 1: . City staff to present a report to City Council related to the AFC Development grant and intended project outcomes. Age-Friendly • City staff will request City Council to pass a resolution to endorse Principles the age-friendly community (AFC) implementation plan, providing the Corporation is successful in obtaining the grant. March 2015- . Recruitment and selection of AFC Advisory Committee Positions. January 2016 . Development of project guiding principles and goals. • Creation of an AFC profile. • Development of a project communication plan. • Age friendly community advisory committee is formed. • Age friendly community advisory committee develops project plan and outcomes. Phase 2: . Needs Assessment tool is developed and presented to AFC Community advisory committee for input. Needs • Age-Friendly needs assessment tool is approved by advisory Assessment committee. • Community needs assessment completed through community January 2016- consultations, surveys and focus groups that will seek to identify November 2016 the current state of age-friendliness in the City of Kitchener as well as gaps and opportunities for age-friendliness. • Analysis of the information collected from the needs assessment. • Report prepared and presented to the age-friendly advisory committee related to results of the community needs assessment. Phase 3: An action plan will be developed in collaboration with the age-friendly Development of community steering committee that will: an Age-Friendly • Define what an age-friendly community looks like in Kitchener. Action Plan • Provide actions to address gaps identified in the needs assessment. November 2016- . Strategies are developed to address gaps and opportunities. March 2017 These strategies detail specific goal, objectives and time lines. Phase 4: Implementing and evaluating the action plan is out of scope for Prioritizing, phase 1 of this project, as it will extend beyond the project time lines. Implementing To support the momentum of this project beyond the term of the and Evaluation grant, this project will be continue to be a part of the City's business plan and staff will continue to report on the project until the outcomes March 2017- are achieved. March 2018 Examples of other Age-Friendly Community Strategies: Many municipalities across Ontario and Canada have developed, or in the process of developing, age-friendly communities. Staff explored several examples which are outlined below. 9 - 3 Municipality Strategy Features Waterloo . Developed a comprehensive and representative needs assessment. • As a result of the needs assessment, the City plans to address concerns related to housing affordability, high curbs, and a lack of outreach to socially isolated seniors. http://www.waterloo.ca/en/contentresources/resources/ overnment/dr aft mayors report layout June0313.2df Cambridge . Completed a community needs assessment. • 5 keys areas identified for community improvement: housing, transportation, community health services and support, respect and inclusion as well as communication and information. http://afc.uwaterloo.ca/P /Cambridge°/® 0 2011°/® 0A°/® 0 eniors %20Community%20 eeds%20Assessment%20 inaI%20 eport.pdf London . Developed a three year action plan for an age friendly London. • Improvements include various improvements to city crosswalks, signage and community services. http://www.london.ca/residents/Seniors/Age-Friendly/ ocuments/afl- report.pdf Next Steps: If the City is successful at obtaining this provincial grant, staff would engage with the community to develop an age-friendly action plan based upon stated priorities and according to the implementation plan. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: This project aligns with the following community priorities and strategy directions: Community Priority: Diversity- "Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a community where all residents have equitable access to, and meaningful inclusion in the social, economic and cultural fabric of civic life". Strategic Directions: That the city create a corporate culture that is inclusive and represents the diversity of our community through the development of policy and strategies to ensure broad access, equity and inclusion of our diverse citizens in the life of the Corporation That the city's efforts to engage the public in initiatives and decisions that affect them include communication and outreach appropriate for, and accessible to, diverse audiences. 9 - 4 Community Priority: "Leadership and Community Engagement- "Our shared vision is for Kitchener to be a community in which the residents are engaged and active in decision making about local issues" Strategic Directions: That the city partners with citizens, business, agencies, organizations, school boards and all orders of government, as appropriate, in all Healthy Community initiatives. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Staff will be applying for a grant of $50,000 from the Ontario Secretariat over a 2 year period ($25,000 per year). The grant will be used to offset project costs associated with the community consultations, administration, marketing and communications, and staff wages and benefits for time dedicated to this project. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: INFORM — This report has been posted to the City's website with the agenda in advance of the council / committee meeting. CONSULT — The Mayors Advisory Council on Kitchener Seniors (MACKS) has been informed and fully supports this report going forward by staff. ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, DCAO Community Services 9 - 5