OCS DCL-2022-11 Joint DCL OCS and ACL on Virtual Site Visit FY2022

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#:                               OCS-DCL-2022-11

                                              ACL-AoA-2022

DATE:                               May 11, 2022

TO:                                    Administration for Community Living (ACL) Aging and Disability Networks, Office of Community Services (OCS) Program Networks

SUBJECT:                         Invitation to Join ACL and OCS on a Virtual Site Visit of North Central Dakota Area Agency on Aging on May 18, 2022 at 1:30 pm ET

ATTACHMENT(S):          Flyer Invitation for Older Americans Month Virtual Site Visit (PDF)

Dear Colleagues:

We invite you to join us in a novel venture to honor Older Americans Month (OAM): a virtual site visit hosted by North Central Idaho Area Agency on Aging (AAA) on May 18, 2022, at 1:30 pm ET. This event highlights the inclusion of older adults in social services, including in planning and outreach, and supports the Memorandum of Understanding between the Administration on Community Living (ACL) and the Office of Community Services (OCS). For the first time, ACL and OCS grant networks are invited to participate in the virtual site visit as the audience.

May happens to celebrate both Older Americans Month and Community Action Awareness Month. During the virtual site visit, we will hear from the North Central Idaho AAA and the Community Action Partnership (CAP), which are co-located.

During the virtual site visit, North Central Idaho CAP Executive Director Lisa Stoddard and AAA Director Kristin Schmidt will

• Discuss their agencies’ structure, service area, and population demographics;
• Highlight best practices for cross-training staff;
• Identify some of the ways in which the two agencies work in partnership with each other and neighboring tribes;
• Elaborate on the agencies’ “no wrong door” philosophy; and
• Provide an example of how a family of all ages could be served and supported by both agencies.

The virtual site visit also will include a question and answer session where site visit participants will be able to ask questions.

This activity showcases activities for our grant recipient networks who provide needed support to individuals often at the intersections of poverty, structural inequities, disability, and older adults.

While some OCS-funded grant recipients and ACL-funded grant recipients already partner in various ways to serve families, through this site visit, we hope you find new and re-imagined ways of meeting the needs of older adults (as well as all family members), particularly as we begin to recover from the pandemic.

OCS and ACL grant recipients also encourage network groups that have not typically worked together to identify ways to partner to best support older adult populations.

How to Access the Virtual Site Visit May 18, 2022 at 1:30 ET

In order to participate in the virtual site visit, you must pre-register at:

https://acf-hhs-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_AOGV0babR8eavRTws8FNQw

For additional information or questions about the virtual site visit, please contact Dr. Yolanda J. Butler at Yolanda.Butler@acf.hhs.gov.  

Working across sectors, we know that more Americans will be able to envision a brighter future for themselves and their families.

Thank you for the work that you do in support of all communities at risk across the nation.

/s/

Dr. Lanikque Howard

Director

Office of Community Services

/s/

Edwin Walker

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging

Administration for Community Living