Grants help older Minnesotans stay independent

A new round of state grants will support older Minnesotans to maintain their health, independence and community involvement while living in their own homes.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services will distribute almost $4 million in Live Well at Home grants in 2022. Funding will go to 42 organizations across the state for projects such as:

• Outreach and support for older adults of all cultures, including those who speak Spanish, in in Watonwan County

• A supportive housing development in downtown Duluth that could end homelessness for residents age 65 and older

• White Earth Nation’s first housing development to include supportive services for American Indian elders experiencing homelessness

“Our goal is to empower aging Minnesotans to stay in their homes longer,” said Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead. “Being able to live well at home for as long as possible leads to better outcomes for both older Minnesotans and their communities.”

Highlights of this year’s grants are listed below.

Central Minnesota

• Frazee Neighbor to Neighbor, Frazee, $49,750 to provide services to Frazee, Vergas and nearby townships including volunteer driver transportation, Meals on Wheels, senior socials, household and handyperson services, and home modifications.

Northern Minnesota

• Northwoods Caregivers, Bemidji, $214,183 to expand Home and Community Based Services and caregiver support for unserved older adults and their families at Red Lake, White Earth, Leech Lake and Bois Forte Reservations and older adults in Lake of the Woods County.

• Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, Duluth, $96,203 to include attorneys on the health care teams of rural American Indian elders. This innovative medical-legal partnership brings together expertise to address social factors affecting health and well-being.

• White Earth Nation, White Earth, $349,939 to furnish and equip the reservation’s first housing development for American Indian elders experiencing homelessness. A priority of the Tribe’s plan to end homelessness is to develop three 12-unit village communities with supportive services across the reservation.

• CHUM, Duluth, $120,554 to provide homeless support services to residents of the renovated Downtown Duluth Inn, now called the St. Frances Apartments. The funds will support essential furniture and household items for rental units and help tenants with rental deposits and needed personal items. Staff will connect residents to services such as food, transportation, household chores, public benefits and long-term services.

• Red Lake Reservation Housing Authority, Red Lake, $81,000 to provide assistance to American Indian elders who want to age in their own homes. The project will help 10 elder homeowners with low to moderate incomes make accessibility and health and safety related modifications or repairs to their homes.

• Age Well Arrowhead, Duluth, $155,600 to expand access to volunteer-based transportation, care consultation and other services for older adults living in underserved areas. The grant will also support efforts to increase awareness of these services among older American Indians, members of the LGBTQ community and veterans.

• Care Partners of Cook County, Grand Marais, $34,640 to provide care coordination and caregiver support for older adults and their caregivers, with the goal of keeping older adults safely in their homes, reducing the risk of health crises and other issues, and improving transitions to more extensive services.

Southern Minnesota

• Lower Sioux Indian Community, Morton, $266,878 for Cansa’yapi Kan (Elders), a program that seeks to reinstate the Tribal role of elders as a strategy to transfer knowledge and promote healing and well-being. The grant will support nurturing the well-being of Lower Sioux elders through expanded social, physical and intergenerational cultural strategies that lead to improved health, increased capacity to live at home and a strong age-friendly community.

• Wellspring Faith in Action, St. James, $45,000 to provide volunteer aid to older adults in Watonwan County, including the cities of Butterfield, Madelia and St. James. Plans include adding a bilingual outreach worker to the homemaker service to reach members of the Latino community.

• Rice County Habitat for Humanity, Northfield, $50,000 for the Aging in Place program, including purchasing a van and tools to assist with home repair and safety improvement projects for older adults in Rice County.

• Family Service Rochester, Rochester, $124,178 to extend Neighbors Helping Neighbors services to Rice County. The grant will help raise awareness among BIPOC, rural, veteran and low-income older adults about services such as homemaker, companion and respite, home modifications and repairs, and essential chores such lawn care and snow removal.

Twin Cities metro area

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minneapolis, $324,081 to help homeless, isolated, low-income older adults move into stable housing. Through intensive case management, the Homeless Elders Program offers access to supportive services and resources to enhance quality of life and preserve dignity and autonomy.

• NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Minneapolis, $222,457 to keep aging people healthy and functioning in their homes and communities. A team of community health workers, physicians and dietitians work with seniors and their families and caregivers to optimize health and support access to community health and human services.

• Korean Service Center, Minneapolis, $166,743 to help Korean older adults by providing transportation, bedside care, caregiver support services and translation assistance.

• Senior Community Services, Minnetonka, $149,126 to provide essential community supports, including chore and homemaking services, to enable older adults to remain in their homes and connected to their communities within 30 of 45 cities in Hennepin County, including expansion into Champlin, Medicine Lake, Rockford and Rogers.