Older adults often express a desire to remain living independently in their homes as long as possible. In order to meet this collective preference, especially in the coming decades, communities will not only need to offer more senior housing, but also housing that is more accessible and affordable. Continue reading to learn about 1) older adult housing trends 2) ways communities can help 3) housing grants / programs and 4) community planning policies.

As part of the Centralina Learns local government training series, Centralina Regional Council partnered with the UNC Charlotte MPA Public Management Academy to give a sample of what they have to offer participants. The webinar, Building Budget Champions, pulled information from the Academy’s The Power of Data for Managers session, which features budget and resource strategies.

Professor Jim Douglas provided best practices on how to advocate for and secure resources in a competitive environment.

The Davis-Bacon Act requires that prevailing wages be paid on federally funded public works projects, such as construction, repair or alteration of public buildings, or construction of public roads or bridges. States must abide by the Davis-Bacon Act when federal funds are involved in public works projects within the state.

An important part of any planning process is the periodic evaluation or assessment of accomplishments and the identification of activities that remain. To that end, Centralina is pleased to announce that we are embarking on a five-year review of our region’s groundbreaking growth plan, CONNECT Our Future. Over the next months, we will be evaluating accomplishments and highlighting data and local and regional successes for the purpose of informing our future priorities.

Did you know adults age 65 and older are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fire or falls, and at age 75 the risk increases to three times that of the general population?

On Sunday, January 3, 2021 we lost Joe Carpenter, a former public servant of Gaston County and former Board Chair of Centralina. Centralina staff and the officers of our Board would like to share our collective appreciation for his lifetime of service and many contributions to Centralina and our region.

A letter from the Executive Director reflects on 2020 and lists what’s in store for 2021: This time last year many were anticipating that 2020 would be a year to plan for a new decade and gain “20/20” vision or clarity on future priorities. Instead, we quickly found ourselves confronting the present, a global pandemic with severe local consequences that brought daily challenges and unprecedented levels of uncertainty.

The Centers for Disease Control stated that older adults are among those that should not travel at all over the holidays due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure. This also includes having family members travel to the older adult as well.