WORCESTER—The Worcester Housing Authority is proud to announce that it has been awarded a grant through the 2024 AARP Community Challenge. The agency is one of 343 recipients nationwide, and one of nine in Massachusetts. Notably, it is the only housing authority in Massachusetts to receive this grant and one of just four housing authorities across the country to be honored with this recognition.
“We’re very excited about this award,” WHA CEO Alex Corrales said in a statement. “This grant will provide us an opportunity to increase our technology offerings to residents, which will help improve their overall quality of life, which is in line with our overall mission.”
The Worcester Housing Authority has been awarded $20,101 from the AARP Community Challenge grant. This funding will support digital literacy courses for elderly residents and those with disabilities.
Additionally, desktop computers will be installed in community rooms across four WHA buildings, offering free high-speed internet connections, security cameras, and laptops for the courses. WHA Vice President of Resident Services Erin Wilson highlighted that this grant is a significant achievement for the agency and emphasized that the new technology will enhance access to resources and opportunities for residents in the future.
“We were among more than 3,350 applicants, so this was an extremely competitive process,” Wilson said in the announcement. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we do here at the WHA and funding like this only means we can do more for our residents.” The WHA’s grant was among more than $3.8 million being invested through the Community Challenge across the country through 343 “quick-action projects,” which AARP said will help urban, rural, and suburban communities “make immediate improvements and jump start long-term progress to support residents of all ages.”
According to AARP, the Community Challenge is a grant program to “make tangible improvements in communities that jumpstart long-term change. It is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities Initiative (LCI), which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages.”
