Pacifica
The Pacifica Age Friendly Community Coalition in Pacifica, CA, was established in January 2019, and the City of Pacifica was certified by AARP as a member of their National Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities in August 2020.
The Coalition is comprised of the City’s Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Supervisor, the current Mayor, local non-profit leaders, and residents with an interest in the well-being of older adult residents. The City of Pacifica is a partner in the initiative but not the sole driver of each project. Leadership for each project is led by a collaborative and diverse mix of Coalition members and local stakeholders, with the Coalition and the City providing in-kind guidance and support.
Please watch the following video to learn more about Pacifica’s journey to join the WHO/AARP age-friendly network:
Domain: Transportation
Subsidized and reliable taxi service through Pacifica’s Connect-A-Ride (CAR) Project
The project is based on a similar program in the City of San Mateo and was established as a result of input from many older residents who were often experiencing “no-shows” from Uber, Lyft and local taxi drivers. Thanks to a generous bequest from a local Pacifican, the City of Pacifica negotiated a contract between the City of Pacifica and Serra Cab Company that subsidizes each taxi ride and guarantees that Serra Cab drivers will show up on time.
Residents 65 plus can get rides to local health care/medical centers and other locations within a defined geographic area where they need to go for $5.00 each way. This program has been very well received.
Domain: Housing
Provide affordable housing search and application strategy workshops.
When seeking input from residents about unmet needs, the high cost of housing was a major concern. A sub-committee has been formed to replicate an affordable housing workshop that was originally developed by the San Jose Independent Living Center AFC Coalition. They reached out to the Pacifica Resource Center to help them adapt to the workshop. It provides information on how older adults (60 and over) can search and apply for subsidized housing and other resources, such as a county-wide Shared Housing program, Accessory Dwelling Units, and cooperative shared rental housing arrangements.
Workshop attendees are encouraged to seek support, as needed, with their search from the Pacifica Resource Center, the non-profit resource center that the County designates as the “CORE Service Agency” for Pacifica. Three workshops have taken place in 2022, and plans are to continue providing these workshops for the foreseeable future.
Domain: Respect and Social Inclusion
Age-Friendly Business/Community Organization Training and Recognition Project.
A sub-committee has been established to look at ways that the training needs of local businesses on how to enhance their “age-friendliness” and establish a program of recognizing local businesses that have a reputation for treating their older customers with dignity and respect. The committee expects to begin the implementation of this project in 2023.
The Pacifica AFC Coalition is currently working on their Action Plan to plan for the sustainability of the initiative and further development of new projects.