The City of Minneapolis has begun to take a closer look at the needs of our aging population, and the Minneapolis for a Lifetime Strategy has created the foundation for the City of Minneapolis to be a liveable city for residents and visitors alike regardless of their age. The vision of this strategy is that Minneapolis be a location for older residents and visitors offering comprehensive housing options, easy access to all places and amenities, healthy and safe environments, and opportunities for civic engagement, leisure, entertainment and lifelong learning.

The Minneapolis for a Lifetime Strategic Plan and framework will be implemented through a collaborative structure that engages partnerships across governmental jurisdictions, community organizations, cultural communities and private sector using the City of Minneapolis Core Principles of Community Engagement as its primary vehicle to ensure equity and inclusion. This plan will be spear-headed and developed by the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging (ACOA). The ACOA will also advise the City Council, Mayor and City Department on best practices, services, programs and activities that promote a healthy and vibrant aging community in Minneapolis. The ACOA is all adults 55 and older and each member represents one of the 13 wards in the City of Minneapolis. There are also 4 members at large who also must be 55 and older. These groups will work with others in the Minneapolis community who have been engaged. Cross-sectoral collaborators have been identified in city departments, government partners, and the business sector. Some examples include: Senior Citizen Advisory Committee to the Mayor, Stevens Square Foundation, University of Minneapolis Community Services, Volunteers of America RSVP Program, Brush With Kindness (TC Habitat for Humanity home service program), Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging, and Wells Fargo.

As these action steps and liasions take shape, the Minneapolis for a Lifetime steering committee partners will be called to the table throughout all stages of the action plan development as well as any new partners identified throughout this planning and implementation process. Throughout the development of the Minneapolis for a Lifetime Strategy, part of the planning process was to take the draft strategy out to the community for input. This included culturally-specific and non-English speaking elders as well as groups representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. There were 6 community events and 70 participants. 12 more focus groups have just concluded with over 140 participants providing insight into “what is working and not working for older adults in Minneapolis” as an assessment of quality of life domains. A meta-analysis of these data sets is underway. The Minneapolis for a Lifetime Strategy is an initiative that is continuously evolving as studies, research and the community’s needs evolves.

2015’s focus is on gap analysis and evaluation to inform action steps for 2015 and 2016.