WJCS is thrilled to share the news that we, along with the city of Yonkers, have been awarded a New York State Office for the Aging Grant, entitled NNORC (Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community). This $200,000 grant will help coordinate a broad range of health and social services for older Yonkers residents to age in their own homes, in the community that they love.
Many of the seniors in Westchester find that their homes are not designed for their geriatric needs. Yonkers NNORC services will provide case management, information, and assistance, healthcare management and healthcare assistance and monitoring. Optional services may also include transportation, telephone reassurance, shopping assistance, educational and recreational programs, and health promotions.
The NNORC will include residential dwellings (single family homes and apartments less than six stories) in Northeast Yonkers that were not originally built for older adults, but now are home to many seniors. It will encompass most of the area of Yonkers between Central Park Avenue and the Bronx River Parkway, as well as a portion of Tuckahoe Road, including Bryn Mawr Ridge apartment complex.
“We are proud to be a part of the team bringing to life Westchester’s first NORC,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “We look forward to working with Mayor Spano and his administration to provide Yonkers seniors with the health, wellness and support services they need to lead more enriched lives.”
The program will be managed by Kelly Chiarella from Yonkers Office of the Aging and Judy Fink LCSW, Director of Geriatric Services at WJCS, assisted by the NNORC Coordinator, Sally Pinto, as well as a case manager and part-time licensed practical nurse. The project is funded through the New York State Office for the Aging, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Yonkers Office for the Aging and Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official view of the New York State Office for the Aging.
The NNORC grant provides for five years of services, beginning January 2020.
