Community Action Plan :

CCEG believes that aging friendly communities are places where:

»	All generations are included, integrated and respected.
»	Policies and programs sensitively address all ages and cultures.
»	Neighborhood centers welcome all generations.
»	Adequate infrastructure is accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
»	Mentors advocate and provide assistance for those who need help.
»	Successful programs are identified and replicated.

CCEG’s 2008 Strategic Plan for Community Action continues the focus on the following areas:

»	Healthcare and Wellness
»	Housing
»	Transportation
»	Neighborhoods and Communities

The Plan lists the key goals in each area and the strategic actions to achieve them.  At the  heart of the Plan is the belief that CCEG working together with the people of Contra Costa can create a “cascade of partnerships”  that will work to make our communities aging friendly.  

2008 Strategic Plan for Community Action

Healthcare and Wellness

Goals

»	Address the isolation of seniors.
»	Promote services that assist individuals with planning for all stages of life.
»	Support education about healthy aging for culturally diverse populations.

Strategic Actions

»	Partner with government and nonprofit organizations currently serving isolated seniors in the county to assess the magnitude and demographics of senior isolation, to conduct an inventory of services available, and to educate and make recommendations to decision makers on addressing the service gaps.
»	Explore alternative approaches for isolated seniors to socially connect from home like the Senior Center  Without  Walls, a program  sponsored by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church of Oakland  and offering telephone group activities for  elders throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and make sure that county seniors are made aware of them.
»	Collaborate with other county stakeholders to identify, and educate the public on, available programs and resources on life planning and healthy aging.

Housing

Goals

»	Motivate public and private entities to develop housing that is truly affordable for all generations.
»	Promote varied and creative sources of funding for affordable senior housing
»	Involve and empower seniors to become part of the community planning process.

Strategic Actions

»	Monitor proposed housing developments in the county using CCEG’s “Endoresment Criteria” as a general benchmark for ensuring that a development is “aging-friendly” and its “Development Guidelines for New Senior Housing” if the project is for senior housing.
»	Meet with senior groups, planners, developers,  other county stakeholders and decision makers starting early in the development cycle to ensure that the needs of seniors are addressed before final approvals are granted.

Transportation

Goals

»	Support sustainable and coordinated funding for transportation.
»	Advance affordable, safe, seamless and accessible, countywide transportation for seniors.
»	Promote responsible land use and transportation policy decisions by planners and policymakers.

Strategic Actions

»	Continue to form alliances and partnerships with transportation stakeholders in the county (government, nonprofit, and faith based)  with a focus on filling the gaps between current transportation services mostly provided by government and those needed transportation services not  adequately provided.   Work to increase the level of transportation resources – funds, vehicles,  and drivers.
»	Monitor transportation developments in the county using CCEG’s “Endorsement Criteria” as a guide  to educate decision makers (board of supervisors, city councils, planning commissions, transit authorities, etc.)  on their  impacts on seniors prior to formal decisions being made them.

Neighborhoods and Communities

Goals

»	Promote increased awareness  and funding for the broad spectrum of community-based support services for seniors and work toward an equitable level of these services throughout the county.
»	Support the enhancement of safety and security in Contra Costa  homes and neighborhoods.
»	Raise awareness and break down stereotypes and myths about aging  and encourage older adults to become involved in neighborhood and community affairs.
»	Increase outreach to fully integrate all generations, cultures, religions and language groups in community involvement.
»	Encourage parental and community involvement to increase academic achievement and provide constructive intergenerational neighborhood-based activities and opportunities for youth.

Strategic Actions

»	Identify support services provided by government, nonprofits and faith-based organizations for seniors throughout the county and work with the appropriate stakeholders to publicize  and educate seniors on how to obtain them.   Seek out county decision makers to advise and educate them on key issues of funding and equitable distribution of services.
»	Continue and expand the Myth Buster Campaign, which seeks to educate the citizens of the county by countering false stereotypes of aging and by debunking myths about older adults.
»	Continue and expand the LEARN Program (Library Education and Resource Network, a partnership of the libraries, senior centers, the County Area on Aging and CCEG).   The objective of the learn program is bring to Contra Costa residents of different cultures and languages together to learn about the resources available to them and to encourage them to become involved in the community.
»	Identify the Neighborhood Watch and community-based policing programs throughout the county and where the gaps are and facilitate collaborative relationships between neighborhoods in need and the appropriate organizations (police, sheriff, etc. ) that can assist them.
»	Research existing intergenerational programs in the county and collaborate with the organizations providing them to determine how they are working,  how they might be improved, and make appropriate recommendations decision makers  on the findings.