The protracted road that led Pat Lund to establish the nonprofit organization Age Well At Home took a lot of twists and turns to be sure.
“My background was in education,” he notes, “where I spent around 10 years or so working in the public school system.”
From there, Lund fell into the nonprofit world “sort of by accident” when he was tapped to direct a painting program for seniors in the area. It was through this experience that Lund decided to launch a program that he aptly named A Brush with Kindness.
This initiative, designed to assist homeowners with repairs, renovations, weatherization services, and other energy-saving tools, immediately caught the attention of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity.
“Habitat thought this was a good model for their homebuilding,” explains Lund. “So, they asked me to join them. And I ended up staying there for 20 years.
“The Twin Cities has some of the largest racial gaps in the nation, including homeownership. So, we were working to support homeowners in communities where the need was the greatest—North Minneapolis, Rondo, the East Side of St. Paul.”
The program served single-parent families, older adults, and households struggling financially for one reason or another.
From the beginning, Lund’s vision was to make sure this was a community-wide effort, so A Brush with Kindness partnered with churches, neighborhood organizations, area businesses, and a dedicated network of volunteers to help preserve homeownership.
The program proved so impactful locally during those early years that International Habitat adopted the same model, and today there are more than 500 separate A Brush with Kindness programs across the United States alone.
Over the years, Lund thought a lot about the aging population, understanding the importance of not only helping seniors keep their homes but also creating an environment that ensures they continue to live safely and comfortably in those homes.
So, while continuing to serve a broad population, there was also the need to tailor a more specific approach that targeted the senior community and its particular needs.
That is how Age Well At Home was born. Created in 2018, the organization was initially absorbed into Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity program offerings. As the program grew, Lund was encouraged to “spin it off” into its own nonprofit, which he did in July of 2022, becoming the new organization’s executive director.
As with A Brush with Kindness, Age Well At Home primarily serves households in North and South Minneapolis, on St. Paul’s East Side, and in the capital city’s historic Rondo neighborhood.
“It feels like a homecoming in that regard,” says Lund, who adds that Age Well At Home also supports some suburban communities that have a significant number of senior homeowners of color.
The issue of safety is front and center at Age Well At Home. “As we get older, it can be difficult to navigate around our homes, both inside and outside,” says Lund. “The goal is to help older adults stay protected and longer in their homes and the communities that they love.
The work that Age Well At Home performs both on the exterior and interior of homes includes adding enhanced lighting; building accessibility ramps; improving and/or increasing railing along walls and staircases; adding stair lifts to help people move between floors; and lifts that make it easier to sit down in and get out of a chair.
Likewise, bathroom renovations consist of improvements such as affixing grab bars to bathroom walls, installing higher toilets, and adding shower seats and handheld shower heads. And still, there is so much more to the services that Age Well At Home provides.
“We repair and replace appliances too,” states Lund. “Number one, it’s a safety issue. Equally, for example, if a homeowner’s refrigerator or stove is not working properly, they might not get the proper nutrition.”
“I am extremely grateful for the Age Well At Home program,” declared one satisfied client. “It has given my home back to me. I had entertained the option of selling…but these modifications gave me peace of mind. And each person associated with the program that came to my home was professional, helpful, cautious, and had exceptional customer service skills.”
Another thing that distinguishes Age Well At Home is that there is a person-centered, trauma-informed method to the work. “We are much more relational in our approach to service,” asserts Lund.
Age Well At Home also partners with other groups, including North Point Health & Wellness Center and is “laying the groundwork” to foster additional connections to boost the organization’s reach and its impact.
Age Well At Home serves persons 60 years of age and older. However, that doesn’t mean the head of household must be that age. “For instance,” says Lund, “if a younger couple has an older relative living in the home, and they meet the income guidelines for our program, we will provide services to that family.”
For more information about Age Well At Home visit agewellathome.org. To view MSR Publisher and CEO Tracey Williams-Dillard’s recent interview with Pat Lund, check out “Tracey’s Keepin’ it Real” podcast below.
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