RUSKIN, Fla. — AARP is investing more than $55,000 in five Tampa Bay organizations through its 2026 Community Challenge grant program, including two housing-focused projects designed to help older adults safely remain in their homes.
One recipient, Florida Home Partnership, received a $15,000 grant to provide free home safety assessments and accessibility improvements for older homeowners in Ruskin.
The funding comes as AARP marks the 10th year of its Community Challenge program, which awarded a record $8.3 million this year to nearly 750 quick-action projects nationwide. Since the program launched in 2017, AARP has invested more than $32.6 million in more than 2,800 community projects focused on improving livability, particularly for adults ages 50 and older.
Florida Home Partnership CEO Detra L. Smith-O’Bryant said the nonprofit has spent more than three decades helping low- and moderate-income families achieve homeownership and is now expanding its efforts to help seniors remain safely in their homes.
“Older adult homeowners that need to age in place and have a better quality of life. We’re meeting them where they are in the neighborhood,” Smith-O’Bryant said. “We will be assessing home safety. We will be installing lighting, grab bars, more safety tools.”
The organization serves the Bayou Pass community in Ruskin, where approximately 700 homes are located and about 60% are owned by seniors, according to Florida Home Partnership.
Smith-O’Bryant said many homeowners in the neighborhood built their own homes through the nonprofit’s self-help housing program, contributing 600 hours of sweat equity during construction.
As housing costs continue to rise, Smith-O’Bryant said many older adults living on fixed incomes struggle to afford repairs that allow them to remain independent.
Laura Streed, director of outreach and engagement for AARP Florida, said research consistently shows that older adults want to remain in their homes and communities as they age.
“We know at AARP, survey after survey, that older adults want to stay in their community, in their home,” Streed said. “They want to age in place.”
She said many homes across Florida were not designed with aging residents in mind.
“Most of the housing stock in Florida is built for 30-year-olds,” Streed said. “There’s definitely an investment to be made to make sure that our homes are accessible and that they’re safe for us, so that we can continue to do the things that we love to do.”
In addition to home safety assessments, the grant will help connect homeowners with vetted contractors to complete modifications such as improved lighting, grab bars, and other safety upgrades. AARP’s HomeFit guide also provides homeowners with recommendations for making their homes safer and more accessible.
Florida Home Partnership plans to provide free repairs and safety improvements to 30 homeowners through the program.
The other Tampa Bay organizations receiving 2026 AARP Community Challenge grants are located in St. Petersburg, Gulfport, and Lakeland. The grants support projects that improve public spaces, transportation, housing, and community connectivity for residents of all ages, with an emphasis on making communities more livable for older adults.