Tobias Armborst, Georgeen Theodore, and Daniel D'oca Of
NORCs IN NEW YORK Tobias armborsT, GeorGeen Theodore, and daniel d’oCa of inTerboro ParTners Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/thld_a_00145 by guest on 23 September 2021 INTERBORO PARTNERS NORC is a funny word, but we didn’t make it up. On the contrary, the word is recognized by the local, state, and federal government, and has been in use since 1986. Actually, NORC is an acronym. It stands for “Naturally Occurring Retirement Community.” Basically, a NORC is a place (a building, a development, a neighborhood) with a significant elderly population that wasn’t purpose-built as a senior community. What counts as a “significant elderly population” varies from place to place (and from one level of government to the next), but that’s the basic definition. NORCs are important because once a community meets the criteria, it becomes eligible for local, state, and federal funds to retroactively provide that community with the support services elderly populations need (for example, case management and social work services, health care management and prevention programs, education, socialization, and recreational activities, and volunteer opportunities for program participants and the community). As it happens, there are 27 NORCs in New York City, located in four boroughs. NORCs are a national—even international— phenomenon, but the NORC movement began right here in New York City, when a consortium of UJA-Federation agencies THRESHOLDS 40 established the Penn South Program for Seniors in 1986. Let us say a few words about why we’re so interested in NORCs: First of all, the “naturally occurring” part is intriguing.
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