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Communities for Life

CAC, working as an agent of the State of Indiana Family and Social Services Administration Division of Aging, received funding in June 2007 to develop “neighborhood naturally occurring retirement communities” (NNORCs). This 18-month state-wide project was entitled Communities for Life (CFL). Implementation of CFL included the development and issuance of an RFA, application review, provision of technical assistance to five selected sites throughout Indiana to conduct a needs assessment and develop a program plan for supportive service programs; and program evaluation.

The five selected organizations/communities were:

• Gary Community Health Foundation, Gary, IN
• Aging & In-home Services of Northeast Indiana, Huntington, IN
• Martin University, Indianapolis, IN
• Generations, Vincennes, IN
• REAL Services, South Bend, IN

What is a NNORC?
NORC stands for “naturally occurring retirement community.” For general purposes, a NORC is a community:

• with a high concentration of older individuals
  
  
• which may include a residential building, a housing complex, an area (including a rural area) of single family residences, or a neighborhood composed of age-integrated housing
  
  
• where 40% of the heads of households are older; or
  
  
• a critical mass of older individuals exists

that, based on local factors and taken in total, allow an organization to achieve efficiencies in the provision of health and social services to older individuals living in the community. By definition, a NORC is not an institutional care or assisted living setting.

NNORC vs. NORC
Communities involved in the CFL project were classified as “neighborhood naturally occurring retirement communities” (NNORC). A NNORC is a horizontal community, spread out across a defined geographical area. A NORC is more often a vertical housing complex, such as high-rise apartment buildings.

What makes a NNORC unique?
The guiding principles of a NNORC are community building and resident self-sufficiency. Community partners come together to create a coordinated basket of services that support the strengths and meet the needs and wants of the seniors living in the NNORC.

Characteristically, a NNORC will:

• Organize and locate a range of coordinated health care and social services and group activities on site
  
  
• Draw strength from partnerships bringing together housing entities, residents, health and social service providers, government agencies and philanthropic organizations
  
  
• Promote independence and healthy aging by engaging seniors before a crisis…responding to changing needs over time
  
  
• Provide seniors with vital roles in the development and operation of the program (governance and volunteer)
  
  
• Fill the gaps, but not duplicate, where Medicare, Medicaid or OAA services are insufficient or inadequately coordinated