Building and Sustaining 

Home Modification Collaborations: 

Strategies for Your Community

July 6, 2022

HSRC Office Hour
Welcome

This office hour is hosted by the federal

Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC)

Moderator

Sherri Clark, Aging Services Program Specialist, Administration for 

Community Living

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Instructions for Zoom

Audio Options

• Use your computer speakers, OR dial in using 

the phone number in your registration email.

• All participants are muted.

Questions and Comments

• Please actively use chat throughout the meeting, 

especially for your comments.

• To ask a presenter a question, please use the 

Q&A function.

Or, send your question or comment via email to 

HSRC@ACL.HHS.GOV

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This event is being recorded.
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Today’s National Experts

University of Southern California (USC) 

Leonard Davis School of Gerontology

• Emily Nabors, MSG, Program Manager, Fall Prevention Center 

of Excellence 

• Catia Garell, MA, OTR, SCEM, ECHM, Subject Matter Expert

• Seymour Turner, Subject Matter Expert

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Building and Sustaining 

Home Modification Collaborations: 

Strategies for Your Community

Housing and Services Resource Center 

Office Hour

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How Can You Be a Partner in Home Modification?

1. Embed

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home assessments into programs 

2. Partner with home modification service providers

Educate program participants about home 

modification funding possibilities 

4. Educate program participants with consumer 

direction, educational materials, and videos

5. Refer program participants to home modification 

services

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Partners to Expand Access to Home Modification

• Rehabilitation Services

• Medicaid Offices

• Weatherization, Energy Department

• Assistive Technology Programs

• Housing Finance Agencies

• HUD Community Development

• Social Services

• Veterans Affairs
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Potential Partners to Expand Home Modification Services

Housing

• Remodelers

• Contractors

• Fair Housing Offices

• Home Modification

Businesses

• Service 

Coordinators

• Housing and

Community 

Development 

Departments

Health Care

• Occupational and

Physical Therapists

• Case Managers

• Home Health Care

Agencies

• Durable Medical

Equipment Suppliers

• Emergency Medical

Services

Aging

• Area Agencies on 

Aging

• Senior Centers

• State Units on Aging

• Title VI Native

American Aging 

Programs

• Villages

• Aging and Disability

Resource Centers

Disability

• Centers for

Independent Living

• Rehabilitation

Centers

• Assistive

Technology 

Programs

• Non-Profit and 

Other Organizations

Voluntary Groups

• Rebuilding Together • Habitat for Humanity • Rotary Clubs

• Churches/Religious Organizations • Meals on Wheels

The Power of Partnerships for Home Modification Services

Housing

• Remodelers

• Contractors

• Fair Housing Offices

• Home Modification

Businesses

• Service

Coordinators

• Housing and

Community

Development Depts

Health Care

• Occupational and

Physical Therapists

• Case Managers

• Home Health Care

Agencies

• Durable Medical

Equipment

Suppliers

• Emergency Medical

Services

Aging

• Area Agencies on

Aging

• Senior Centers

• State Units on Aging

• Title VI Native

American Aging

Programs

• Villages

• Aging and Disability

Resource Centers

Disability

• Centers for

Independent Living

• Rehabilitation

Centers

• Assistive

Technology

programs

• Non-Profit and

Other Organizations

Rebuilding Together * Habitat for Humanity * Rotary Clubs

*Churches/Religious Organizations * Meals on Wheels

Voluntary Groups

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How to Partner?

• Refer to Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity for service delivery

• Work with State Medicaid Waiver Programs that provide funds to modify homes 

of individuals at-risk of institutionalization

• Educate persons aging with a disability about home modification and repair 

services as part of their rehabilitation plan

• Weatherization experts could do a falls risk screening and make simple 

modifications

• Participate in coalitions and task forces

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Tips for Approaching Partners

Collect and share relevant Census data to demonstrate the home 

modification need in your state or community – who could benefit

• % of the population age 65 and older

• % of the population under age 65 with a disability

• Rate of homeownership

• Poverty rate

• Median household income

Describe your services, resources, and expertise to effectively address 

these needs 

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Tips for Approaching Partners and 

Sustaining Partnerships

• Communicate what impact your partnership could have and how 

it would support your partner’s goals and mission

• Look for mutually beneficial strategies

• Once you begin a partnership, track key successes to demonstrate 

the impact of your efforts, help sustain the relationship, and 

secure new ones 
Open Question/Comment

• Raise your virtual Zoom hand 

• “Accept” if you get an invitation to be a 

panelist
For More Information

Emily Nabors 

emily.nabors@usc.edu

Catia Garell

garell.usc@gmail.com

Seymour Turner

seymourturner.usc@gmail.com

Home Modification 

Information Network

www.homemods.org/hmin

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HSRC Website

acl.gov/HousingAndServices
Training Applications Now Accepted!

Home Modification Education and Support (HOMES) 

Training Program for the 

Disability and Aging Networks

Free -- But space is very limited.

Apply by July 11

Learn more at: https://bit.ly/3y7dss5

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Upcoming August Webinars! 

August 4: State programs to support transitions 

back to the community from nursing 

homes and hospitals

August 22: Emerging models for community 

transitions and integration for people with 

mental illness and disabilities.

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We want to hear from you! 

Please email us at hsrc@acl.hhs.gov
Acknowledgment

This presentation was supported in part by the U.S. Administration for Community 

Living through a contract with Mission Analytics Group, Inc. (Contract number 

HHSP233201500060I) which subcontracted the work to USAging. The views 

expressed do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the 

Administration for Community Living / Department of Health and Human Services.