The City of Delta is hoping its seniors will have an improved sense of belonging and community connections.
That is one of the goals outlined in a recent request for proposals for a qualified consulting firm or individual to conduct an age-friendly community assessment and develop an Age-Friendly Community Action Plan for Delta.
The city is seeking a consultant with experience in conducting community-based research, public engagement and developing municipal social plans and policies.
The city this September received funding from the Union of BC Municipalities Age-Friendly Communities Grant program to carry out what will be the first in-depth age-friendly assessment of the Delta community.
“The results of the assessment will be used to guide policies and funding priorities for Delta into the future. The goal of this project is to do a city-wide assessment and develop city-wide solutions to help Delta’s seniors continue to live independent, active lives, and have a voice and access to resources they need in the community,” the request for proposals explains.
The target audience is older adults ages 65-and-up, as that group has grown dramatically in the last 10 years in Delta. People in the 50-to-64 age range are to also be considered.
“As a part of this process, we would like to engage with diverse racialized groups; South Asians compose 20 per cent of Delta’s total population and are the largest visible minority group, so engagement with this population group will be critical. In addition, the project will focus on the priorities of older vulnerable adults and those who have not been actively involved in Delta’s public engagement processes,” the request for proposals notes.
The consultant is to, among other things, establish an Advisory Committee of local community partners to guide the project and conduct background research on the Delta community, policies and age-friendly best practices.
The public engagement is to include focus groups with targeted seniors’ groups, online surveys in English, Punjabi and Chinese, as well as reaching out to seniors in parks, gurdwaras, churches, social service providers and seniors’ centres.
Among the other goals of the project is for the city to have a better understanding of Delta’s senior demographics through a review of Census 2021 information, a better understanding of the social services infrastructure in Delta and the gaps in serving seniors, as well as a better understanding of the role of local governments in addressing seniors’ issues.
