Our town has an extensive informal network of neighbors and relatives helping each other. We also have a recent intiative- Sustain Wayne- which focuses on community and sustainability, and which began the current working group. To add to that network, we plan to begin with a systematic assessment of the needs and resources of our community’s elders, then to focus on connecting those in need of services with existing resources, and then to work with the surrounding communities to create services that are not currently available. Beginning with assessment will help us build on our community’s strengths and on supplementing the real gaps in services and affordable housing that older people in Wayne experience.