Iona Senior Services Awarded Lead Agency Grants for Wards 2 and 3 by D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL)
Iona Senior Services Awarded Lead Agency Grants for Wards 2 and 3 by D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL)
Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2023) — Iona Senior Services (Iona) today announced the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) has named Iona the Ward 2 and Ward 3 Lead Agency through its Lead Agency Competitive Grant program.
The Lead Agency grant program is a collaborative effort that mobilizes public, private, and community- based support to meet the diverse and complex needs of our aging community with a focus on serving individuals with the greatest economic and/or social needs. A Lead Agency grantee assists adults 60 years and older and those who care for them with access to needed social programs, information, nutrition services, and other assistance.
“Lead agencies are vital to the aging services network in the District and it is our privilege to receive the support of the Bowser Administration and DACL to continue our work as the Ward 3 lead agency and receive a new award to serve the older residents and their families in Ward 2,” says Iona’s CEO, Joon Bang. “In the most practical sense, the awards will allow us to implement our socialization and food programs at six new locations to support food-insecure older adults aging alone, and manage a center dedicated to older adults who are housing insecure – a critical need as more than 40% of the unhoused population in DC are older adults.”
Through the engagement of key partners including government agencies, senior villages, faith communities, and community-based organizations, Iona seeks to enhance the quality of life for older adults in the District through programs and services that aim to improve health access, decrease loneliness and social isolation, and provide the opportunity to age well in their communities.
ABOUT IONA
Iona Senior Services is a nonprofit in the District of Columbia that helps more than 3,500 older adults and their families each year as they experience the challenges and opportunities of aging. Iona educates, advocates and provides community-based services to help people age well and live well. For more information, visit www.iona.org.
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