A grant program to improve communities is open for applications.

Started in 2017, the AARP Community Challenge program provides grants to communities for projects that can be turned around quickly and improve cities and towns for people of all ages.

Mike Rizzitiello, city administrator for the City of College Place in the Walla Walla Valley, said the city received a grant in 2021 for more than $18,000 dollars to install four free wireless internet hot spots. He explained the Community Challenge is able to fill a gap in the grant world for cities.

"There's very few grant opportunities that I would say are geared toward, really, community development type needs," Rizzitiello pointed out. "Whether it be free Wi-Fi, infrastructure, playgrounds; stuff like that."

He noted cities are also limited in the funds they have available to complete such projects. Since 2017, the program has awarded $12.7 million to more than a thousand projects, including 19 in Washington state.

The Community Challenge program is adding two new grant programs this year. One is a capacity-building microgrant for improving walkability, and starting or expanding a community garden. The other is a demonstration grant focused on transportation improvements and the benefits of accessory dwelling units as a housing solution.

Rizzitiello has advice for people who apply.

"Think out of the box," Rizzitiello urged. "Think about whatever is a major need in the community where you can work with partners and maybe where without this grant, there isn't really a discernible pathway forward to fund it, and then tell your story."

The program prioritizes nonprofit organizations and government entities. The deadline for applications is 2 p.m. PT March 15. Once funded, the projects must be completed by Nov. 30.

Family caregivers provide valuable work to Washington state - even if they don't get paid. A new report puts a value to the unpaid work they do.

In 2021, the state had 820,000 family caregivers, according to a new AARP analysis. They provided an estimated $16.8 billion in economic value that year.

Cathy MacCaul, advocacy director for AARP Washington, said this report quantifies how important family caregivers are to the state.

"It really calls out and sings the praises of an unrecognized workforce that is so pivotal to our overall long-term care system," she said.

The report found that the value of that care provided to family members increased by $4.8 billion between 2019 and 2021 in Washington state.

Dana Allard-Webb manages Washington's Family Caregiver Support program, which offers services to help caregivers with their duties and to cope with the stress of the job, such as through respite care. She said it's hard for many to ask for help, but support from the program can be good for everyone involved.

"The calmer, more mentally and physically healthy a caregiver is, and the more educated they are," she said, "the better they're going to be able to care for that care receiver, and they'll be able to hopefully care for them longer."

According to the report, people age 65 and up will outnumber those younger than age 18 by 2034. MacCaul said it's important for policymakers to recognize the state's population is aging rapidly.

"There's really no way," she said, "that Washington state or the federal government would be able to compensate people or provide this level of care that unpaid family caregivers currently provide."

Every Missourian knows property values and property taxes have risen dramatically in the past 15 years, as well as the cost of rent.

State lawmakers are now looking at increasing what's known as the "circuit breaker" as well. The Missouri Property Tax Credit has not changed since 2008. It was designed to help low-income seniors and Missourians with disabilities, both homeowners and renters, stay in their homes longer.

House Bill 1351 would raise both the amount of tax credit and the income eligibility limit.

Juli Jordan, director of marketing and community engagement/wellness for the SeniorAge Area Agency on Aging, says the update is long overdue.

"The very people that this credit was designed for are being left out now, with inflation and rates going up; housing rates and renters' rates going up," Jordan contended. "It's leaving out those people who need it the most."

The maximum tax credit has been $750 for renters and $1,100 for homeowners since 2008. The bill would raise the maximum tax credit for renters to $1,055, and for homeowners to $1,550 in 2024, and includes an annual adjustment based on inflation. The income eligibility level would also increase and be adjusted annually based on inflation.

Jordan noted in 2021, the average credit was $602, and only Missourians earning less than $14,300 a year qualified for the full credit. She pointed to the challenges many seniors and people living with disabilities are facing, especially in light of inflation.

"Some seniors, they have to decide, 'Can I buy groceries, or am I going to pay my utility bill?' " Jordan observed. "Or even having to decide, 'Can I get my life-altering medications this month?' "

Jordan stressed increasing the "circuit breaker" limits would not impact the amount of tax money available for schools or other tax-dependent services. The bill is not currently on the Missouri House legislative calendar. It was introduced by Rep. Marlene Terry, D-St. Louis County.

Many Nebraskans know how crucial a family caregiver is to one of their family members. Now AARP research has put a dollar value on that unpaid care - $2.8 billion dollars in 2021. Nearly 180,000 Nebraskans provided family caregiving that year. The organization has calculated the value on a state-by-state basis in the latest report of their "Valuing the Invaluable" series.

Todd Stubbendieck AARP Nebraska director said these caregivers are often making it possible for their family members to "age in place."

"Because without the support of those family caregivers, many people would be forced to go into a long-term care or an assisted-living situation," he said. "In addition, not being able to live more independently - which we know is what people want - many of the costs of that care would then get shifted to taxpayers. "

Stubbendieck added it is important for Nebraska family caregivers to learn about the support programs available to them, including the statewide Aging and Disability Resource Center. Since 2021, Nebraskans who leave work to care for a family member are eligible to collect unemployment insurance if they meet certain requirements.

This session, state Senator Machaela Cavanaugh (D-Omaha) introduced The Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act, LB-57, which would provide paid leave to Nebraskans who must leave work to care for themselves or a family member.

Stubbendieck said often people do not consider themselves a family caregiver.

"They're supporting a grandparent or a parent or even a child because that's what we do. And because they don't know that they are a family caregiver, sometimes they don't access the support and help they need," he said.

AARP estimates the value of family caregivers nationwide in 2021 was more than $600-billion dollars - up more than $200 billion in just five years.

The report's recommendations include implementing more of the 350 actions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers.

It also highlights the need to strengthen the Family Medical Leave Act and make sick leave more widely available for workers who need to take family members to medical appointments and procedures.