Village Movement
So what is a Village?
In 2001, the Village movement began in Boston when a group of ten older friends and neighbors decided they wanted to age-in-place in the apartment building they shared and the neighborhood they loved. But they knew it would be difficult remaining in their Boston neighborhood especially in winter walking icy streets, but they persevered and formed a social support system of 'neighbors helping neighbors' and from this, the Beacon Hill Village was born. Fifteen years later, the Village Movement has gone global. There are 200 Villages operating across the country, 190 are in development, and there are Villages developing in New Zealand, Japan, England, Mexico and Iceland just to name a few countries who have embraced the Village Model as part of the solution for their aging populations.
And to understand what a Village is, it's not an actual place with brick and mortar. A Village is a virtual neighborhood that provides an alternative for residents aged 50+ who are passionate about remaining in their homes as they age and who want to remain active and connected in their
communities where their children were raised and their friends and family are still living. Simply put, a Village is about neighbors helping neighbors, it's about the power of sustaining friendships and connections in the community and about the importance of maintaining the social fabric of our communities by helping older residents remain in their homes as they age and not having them forced from their communities because they're aging and because there's no social support system.
A Village is a member-based, volunteer-driven, non-profit organization operated by a paid director and a large team of committed volunteers and vetted vendors who coordinate affordable services and programs for their Village members. Services may include transportation, grocery shopping, companionship, computer assistance, small home repair, light yard maintenance, social activities, but at the end of the day, no matter what services are offered and how often services change based on member needs, the main goal of the Village is to empower healthy older adults to remain healthy in their homes and communities as they age providing them with a social support system of friendship, connection and volunteer opportunities.
And if you happen to meet someone who belongs to a Village, you may hear them say "If you've seen one Village, you've seen ONE Village". Villages vary greatly based on different needs for different communities, but they all retain a common philosophy:
Villages are community-based grassroots organizations aimed to be self-sufficient, sustainable and affordable relying on member dues, donations and volunteer support; and
Villages partner with existing organizations and agencies in the community to promote healthy aging-in-place and social integration.
So why do we need a Village?
At the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, Mecklenburg County had 81,000 residents aged 65+. By the year 2030 (this is the year the last baby boomers turn 65), by the year 2030 the number of older residents in Mecklenburg County will have grown exponentially. And a report by AARP, has found that 8 out of 10 older adults want to remain in their homes as they age.
So how will Mecklenburg County support this unprecedented number of older adults?
It will take a Village.
A Village will be part of the solution that is both immediate and affordable while, empowering these 81,000+ older residents to remain in their homes - to age where and how they choose. And Mecklenburg County has everything in place for a successful Village: a strong private home sector, programs and services for older adults, philanthropic corporations and organizations to partner with Villages, a large base for recruiting Village members aged 50+, a willing pool of volunteers both young and old, and entrepreneurs who will generate cottage industries to support the needs of this population.
Fortunately, for the past 2-1/2 years, two villages have been forming in Mecklenburg County--the Charlotte Village Network and the Davidson Village Network and hopefully these will launch a year and a half from now. But there is still a great deal of work to complete. A Village is a business and there are many moving parts--there are members, volunteers and vendors to recruit; services, programs and activities to develop; marketing, fundraising, and outreach programs to implement; and partnerships with businesses and organizations to foster. Fortunately we have the support and guidance of a parent organization--the Village-to-Village Network (all Villages are members of this),and the Network provides webinars, teleconferences, answers to all of our questions, a national conference every two years, a computer program designed for daily operations of a Village. And they appointed a mentor to our Villages who is the Director for the Chapel Hill Village.
We've also been working with Michael Olender from AARP to obtain a survey showing the needs and interests of our older population, with Tom Warshauer from the Neighborhood and Business Services Department to provide a snapshot of the aging demographics in Mecklenburg County. And with the director of the Village in Conover, Neighbors Network, and they were very fortunate to receive a 5-year grant form a local hospice to pay for a Director for five years and were given the unlimited use of a beautifully renovated mansion in the middle of Conover. So when their Village launched (and they launched early) they were fully funded for five years, had a beautiful permanent home and a starting membership of 34.
And this is how a Village is born when an entire community of neighbors, businesses and government come together to act as one, to recognize a growing need in the community and to rally around this need by forming a social support system of neighbors helping neighbors.
