PRESS RELEASE
07/15/09
Contact: Charity Sack, (703) 647-2337

California To Pilot Innovative Community Approach For Aging Boomers

SCAN Foundation Grants $100,000 to Pilot Six “Villages” in
 San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles by June 2010

WASHINGTON (July 15, 2009) — NCB Capital Impact today announced a $100,000 grant from The SCAN Foundation in support of efforts to expand the “Village” model in California. Villages are community-based organizations that have sprouted up in at least 44 communities nationwide to address the rapidly growing demand among the elderly to remain living in their own homes among their friends and neighbors and also fulfill their health care support needs related to aging.

The funds will make it possible to pilot up to six Villages, two each in San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, create and test technology tools to raise the capacity for Village operations, and conduct baseline evaluative research on the Village model by June 2010. NCB Capital Impact is partnering with Beacon Hill Village, the Center for the Advanced Study for the Aging at University of California Berkeley and Susan Poor Consulting, specializing in Villages and other community approaches to aging.

The projected growth of the elderly population, which currently includes more than 37 million people age 65 and older in the U.S., 5.6 million of them in California, highlights the need for more community-based alternatives to long-term care.

The economic downturn has catastrophic implications for older Americans. The Urban Institute found that retirement savings losses are currently estimated at $2 trillion. This combined with limited-earnings potential is causing more to consider using what’s left of their declining home value to cover retirement income needs, including long-term health care. Villages are consumer-driven, self-governing nonprofits that provide members 50 years old and older with an affordable option to remain active, independent and civically connected to their communities.

“Baby boomers, the elderly and their families are facing a myriad of economic hurdles as they consider their long-term health care options,” said Terry Simonette, president and CEO of NCB Capital Impact. “Financial support to expand the Village model, like the investment made by The SCAN Foundation, provides critical support to create innovative options for individuals as they plan for their future home and health care needs.”

“The SCAN Foundation is pleased to award this grant to NCB Capital Impact to help expand the successful “Village” model throughout California,” said Dr. Bruce Chernof, President and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. “We are always proud and eager to support organizations that advance the Foundation’s mission of promoting programs and evaluating policy options that will enable seniors in California to live independently and with dignity.”

About NCB Capital Impact
NCB Capital Impact, the non-profit affiliate of NCB, provides financial services and technical assistance to create more affordable homeownership, long-term supports innovations and facilities for health care centers and charter schools. To learn more about NCB Capital Impact and its programs and initiatives to advance education, affordable housing, health care and long-term care for low- to moderate-income individuals, visit www.ncbcapitalimpact.org. 

About The SCAN Foundation
The SCAN Foundation is an independent nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing the development of a sustainable continuum of quality care for seniors that integrates medical treatment and human services in the settings most appropriate to their needs and with the greatest likelihood of a healthy, independent life. The SCAN Foundation supports programs that stimulate public engagement, develop realistic public policy and financing options, and disseminate promising care models and technologies. For more information about The SCAN Foundation, visit www.thescanfoundation.org. 

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