Livable communities: A Vision for All Ages
The goal of Westchester County’s award- winning Livable Communities Initiative: A Vision for All Ages is to help seniors remain in their homes and their communities, as they grow older, with independence and dignity. The initiative works through the grassroots Livable Communities Connections (LCCs), the Livable Communities Villages and the Livable Communities Collaboratives.
Why are Livable Communities needed? About one in five residents are over the age of 60 in Westchester County. This will continue to increase as baby boomers age. People age 85 and older are the county’s fastest growing sector of the senior population. Multiple studies show that 90 percent of older adults want to age in place. Livable Communities are also needed because fewer family members and paid caregivers are available to help this growing population.
Livable Communities Connections (LCCs)
The LCCs were established to provide local and focused support, education and advocacy. The County is diverse in many ways, that makes it essential to avoid a uniform approach to local programming. The LCCS provide information about unique regional and local priorities and are able to implement programming that is most relevant to the immediate geographic areas. There are 6 regional LCCs responding and taking action on all aspects of aging.
Regional Livable Community Connection (LCC) Sites
Central LCC at Westchester Jewish Community Services:
Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Greenburgh, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Tarrytown, Bronxville, Eastchester, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, White Plains, Harrison, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Port Chester, Rye, Rye Brook
(914) 761-0600 x 2314
North East Central LCC at Family Services of Westchester:
Mt Pleasant, New Castle, Pleasantville, Sleepy Hollow, Valhalla, Yorktown, Bedford, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco, North Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers
(914) 241-0770
North West LCC at Westchester Community College:
Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan, Cortlandt, Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, Peekskill
(914) 606-6528
South Central LCC at Westchester Public/Private Partnership for Aging Services:
Mt Vernon (914) 813-6444
South East LCC at City of New Rochelle Office for the Aging:
New Rochelle, Pelham, Pelham Manor (914) 235 – 2363
South West LCC at Yonkers Office for the Aging: Yonkers
(914) 377-6806
Livable Communities Villages
The Livable Communities Village Approach is another grassroots component of the initiative. By definition, a village is a collective of people with like interests who gather to learn from and participate in Livable Communities activities. Ultimately, through the villages, members are given education and tools so that they can take a neighbor-to-neighbor approach to looking out for one another and so that they can have a choice in shaping local policies and priorities. These are groups that we belong to: our community-based and civic organizations, houses of worship, neighborhood associations, libraries, and even homeowners and apartment associations.
Livable Communities Collaboratives
Livable Communities Collaboratives include 18 groups composed of organizations and seniors with an interest in serving the beeds of Westchester’s aging population and caregivers. The goals of the LCCollaboratives are to: improve coordination of services, reduce duplication and fragmentation of services share information and resources to fufill common group needs, such as training and community education forums and to include a wider variety of organizations in the network to serve seniors. The LC Collaboratives meet through the year to organize and implement services and advocate for issues important to their area of focus.
The Collaboratives groups include: Age Friendly, Alzheimer’s/Dementia,Caregiving,Elder Abuse, Elder Law, Education, Health and Wellness, Health Insurance, Housing, Hunger, Intergenerational Programs, Long Term Care, Mental Health, Palliative Care,Technology, Transportation, Veterans, Disability Advocacy.
For more information about any of these Livable Communities programs, please contact Colette Phipps at (914)813-6441 or cap2@westchestergov.com
