key concept of the title III program, "bottom-up" planning. Also AoA is instituting a system in which States include in their annual State plan specific standards of performance for improving their planning, management and advocacy functions. These standards will be included for the first time in the fiscal year 1978 State plans.

AoA will provide considerable assistance materials to improve network capacity. Seven assistance handbooks for State and area agencies and service providers are being developed on the following seven services: Information and referral, legal, nursing home ombudsman, senior centers, in-home, and residential repair and renovation. These handbooks should provide assistance on how to more effectively provide and develop services for older persons. Furthermore, specialized assistance will be developed in the area of transportation as a followup to a handbook developed in 1975. Also a special assistance handbook is being developed to help the network plan, develop, and manage training programs more effectively. Assistance in the area of fiscal and grants management will also be made available to the network.

AoA will be revising existing Federal interagency working agreements, and vigorously monitoring the implementation of these existing agreements in order to more effectively utilize available resources to reach more older persons. AoA has negotiated 23 formal written agreements with other Federal departments and agencies. Each agreement is designed to lead to State and area agreements. Special emphasis will be placed on revising agreements so they can be more useful for State and area agencies on aging. AoA will continue to place particular emphasis on working out and improving relationships between the National Network on Aging and the title XX social services program, Action volunteer programs, the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration's efforts, Department of Transportation programs, programs authorized under the National Health Planning and Resources Development Act, community mental health centers, and USDA surplus commodities programs.

AoA will be providing assistance to the network on utilizing advisory councils. A handbook on this issue is being developed under an AoA grant, and will be available this spring. AoA has also identified for the network materials related to this subject developed by the Department of Transportation.

Major emphasis for fiscal year 1977 will be placed on serving low income and minority older persons without imposing a needs test. AOA will closely monitor the States to insure that these older persons are being adequately served. AOA is supporting grants in 1977 to the National Indian Council on Aging, the Asociacion Pro Personas Mayores, and the National Urban League to provide assistance to the States in this area.

In fiscal year 1977 AOA will be distributing funds to each State to enable the State agency, working through area agencies, to develop and expand legal services for older persons. AOA will also continue to give support to certain national organizations to provide assistance to the States in implementing this activity. The National Clearinghouse on Aging's service center for aging information (SCAN) will collect and disseminate information to State and area agencies on innovative approaches to service delivery. These centers, which will be established this year, will enable AOA to effectively implement its mandate to collect and disseminate information in the field of aging. One of the major organizational components of SCAN will be devoted to collecting and disseminating information related to social practice.

AOA will design a multiyear strategy for research to develop new knowledge on how to better serve older persons. AOA is also initiating the development and promotion of new services, in such areas as physical fitness and the arts. In order to improve the quality of services, AOA will support career training programs that will prepare increased numbers of people to more effectively develop and deliver services for older persons.

INCREASING FEDERAL RESOURCES USED TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF OLDER PERSONS

The Older Americans Act places major responsibility on AOA to act as an advocate for older persons to influence the allocation of resources for their benefit. AOA knows, as the result of a recent study it supported on Federal outlays for older persons. that currently there are Federal programs that do not provide a fair share of their resources to older pesons (for example, only 2.4 percent of the workers supported under the Comprehensive Employment Training Act-CETA—

are older persons; less than 2 percent of the general revenue sharing funds awarded by States and localities are to support programs for older persons; less than 10 percent of the funds awarded by the State under title XX are for services for older persons). One of AOA's most important goals is, therefore, to increase the Federal resources used to serve the needs of older persons. During fiscal year 1977 AOA is involved in a number of activities in order to move toward this vital goal.

As mentioned previously, AOA is developing new and revising existing Federal interagency agreements in order to attract more Federal resources to the field of aging. Moreover, several major national demonstration projects are being launched jointly with other Federal agencies-one, a six-city project relating to the issue of crime and the elderly in conjunction with the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Community Services Administration (OEO), and Department of Housing and Urban Development; another, a 10-State project relating to employment opportunities for older persons in enforcing environmental laws and policies, in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency; and another, with the National Institute of Mental Health, to jointly train on a national basis area agency and community mental health center staffs. In each case AOA hopes to demonstrate to other Federal agencies effective means of serving older persons, and thereby lead these agencies to increase their commitment to the field of aging. The National Clearinghouse on Aging's service centers for aging information (SCAN) will also disseminate information on available Federal resources which can be, but are not currently being used for older persons.

INCREASING POLICY EFFECT IN THE INTERESTS OF OLDER PERSONS

Major emphasis during fiscal year 1977 will be placed on developing a capability to effectively influence and modify public and private policies to promote achievement of the following objectives for older persons identified in title I of the Older Americans Act.

-An adequate income in retirement.

-The best possible physical and mental health which science can make available and without regard to economic status.

-Suitable housing, independently selected, designed and located with reference to special needs and available at costs which older citizens can afford. -Opportunity for employment with no discriminatory personnel practices because of age.

The objectives identified above outline ambitious goals for our society in the areas of income, health, housing, and employment. None of these objectives can be achieved by action taken solely at the Federal level. Also, oftentimes these objectives can be achieved only as policies are implemented that have an impact on all age groups. In order to move toward the achievement of these goals, therefore, the entire national network on aging-Federal, State, and area-must devote its efforts to bringing about changes in basic policies in both the public and private sectors. These policy changes frequently should result in older persons getting a fair share of existing resources, and in other instances having added resources available for them.

AOA believes, however, that there is a wide range of important policy decisions that do not involve providing additional resources, such as eliminating mandatory retirement, improving private pension plans, revising public utility policies, opening up new opportunities for involvement in society by older persons, persuading scientists to give increased attention to the field of aging, and designing improvements in housing for older persons, that merit special attention. AOA intends to determine from year to year what issues should be given a high priority, and then develop action programs to deal with these issues. In order to achieve greater general policy impact AOA will develop and disseminate information about older persons through a planned computerized information system. AOA hopes to increase the number of people knowledgeable about older persons so they can then influence public and private sector policies. AOA will provide State and area agencies on aging with information assistance that will enable them to be effective advocates with respect to these issues.

During fiscal year 1977 AOA will be involved in a number of specific activities related to increasing our effect on policy issues in the public and private sector. For this purpose AOA is developing an agenda of needed policy research in the field of aging. As a result of research projects funded in 1976, research and policy

issues that have not been thoroughly explored will be identified. These issues will provide a basis for supporting needed research that will enable AOA and the national network on aging to advocate for modifications in existing policy. Two policy areas AOA would like to become involved in within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare are (1) reform of the welfare system and (2) development of a national health insurance program. AOA hopes to be invited to participate in these efforts, in light of the tremendous impact both welfare reform and national health insurance can have on the Nation's 31 million older persons.

This year AOA will establish the National Clearinghouse on Aging's Service Centers for Aging Information (SCAN), to disseminate more effectively information developed under research programs and other sources. AOA will also support 80 career training in aging programs in colleges and universities. These programs directly support 750 trainees who are preparing for careers in aging in a wide variety of professions ranging from social work to medicine and law. Another 16,000 students enroll in courses supported by these programs. These trained professionals will be able to serve as advocates in the effort to influence public and private policies relevant to the interests of older persons.

Developing and implementing a system for regularly sharing key policy issues in the field of aging with the national network on aging is a key activity in fiscal year 1977.

AOA will continue to support the National Association of State Units on Aging, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Urban Elderly Coalition. One of the principle activities of each staff of these organizations will be to provide assistance to their respective members on policy issues (at all levels of the public and private sectors) that demand attention, and possible means of resolving these issues.

AOA will continue to support the development of national organizations in the field of aging which represent the policy concerns of low income and minority older persons to public and private sector decisionmakers. AOA will support such organizations as the National Center on the Black Aged, the Asociacion Pro Personas Mayores, and the National Indian Council on Aging. Also in the interest of greater policy effect, AOA will continue to consult on a regular basis with the following national organizations active in the field of aging: National Council of Senior Citizens, American Association of Retired Persons/National Retired Teachers Association, National Council on Aging, AFL-CIO, National Caucus on the Black Aged, Asociacion Pro Personas Mayores. American Association of Homes for the Aged, and National Association of Retired Federal Employees.

INCREASING GENERAL PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT IN SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF

OLDER PERSONS

In addition to the commitment institutions, public and private, can make to the lives of older persons, individual Americans of all ages can make their own important personal contributions to the lives of older persons. While this goal is one only recently articulated by AOA, AOA believes that by promoting increased involvement by individuals in the lives of older persons, an important, enriching element can be added to the daily existence of these people. (Both participants. old and young.) This is a goal that both AOA and the National Network on Aging must work to achieve.

AOA will develop and disseminate strategies and models for involvement and support to organizations to encourage their members to become involved in activities benent ng then. AOA wi (also work with other agencies in the public sector and organizations in the private sector to alter negative perceptions held by the general public about older persons.

During fiscal year 1977 AOA is involved in specific activities to develop widespread involvement with and interest in the elderly. We are continuing to support, in conjunction with the Public Broadcasting System, a public television program designed to deal in part with the negative attitudes society holds relative to older persons. The development of this series is presented in detail in part II, page 110.

AOA will continue to support and further develop the nursing home ombudsman program. Under this program AOA provides funds to each State to enable them to develop at the area level a process to receive and resolve the complaints of nursing home residents and their relatives. The key to this program is the development, at the community level, of a group of volunteers who agree to handle and resolve the complaints of nursing home residents and their relatives.

This program is also encouraging the formation of organizations of relatives of nursing home residents to promote their more active involvement.

AOA will emphasize the support of organizations which Ipan to encourage their members to become personally involved in the field of aging. Organizations such as the National Interfaith Coalition on Aging, the National Urban League, the American Society for Public Administration, and the Synagogue Council of America will be supported for this purpose during fiscal year 1977. Major national voluntary organizations will also work with AOA to encourage their members to become engaged in activities designed to improve the quality of life for older persons.

JOINT WORKING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE ADMINISTRATION ON AGING OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, AND THE ORGANIZATION OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HOUSING-FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this agreement is to promote comprehensive, coordinated services for older persons through titles III and VII of the Older Americans Act, and section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, 12 U.S.C. 1701q, as amended by section 210 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, and section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, 42 U.S.C. 1437f, as amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, through joint efforts at the headquarters, regional, State, and local levels of the parties to this agreement.

While focusing on older persons residing in section 202 housing, this agreement also is intended to encourage similar services to the elderly at large to the maximum extent feasible.

II. BACKGROUND

Title I of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended, sets forth a declaration of 10 objectives. Objective 3 seeks "suitable housing, independently selected, designed and located with reference to special needs and available at costs which older citizens can afford.” Objective 8 seeks "efficient community services, which provide social assistance in a coordinated manner and which are readily available when needed."

As amended by section 210 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, section 202 provides that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development "shall seek to assure, pursuant to applicable regulations, that housing and related facilities assisted under this section will be in appropriate support of, and supported by, applicable State and local plans which respond to Federal program requirements by providing an assured range of necessary services for individuals occupying such housing (which services may include, among others, health, continuing education, welfare, informational, recreational, homemaker, counseling, and referral services, transportation where necessary to facilitate access to social services, and services designed to encourage and assist recipients to use the services and facilities available to them), including plans approved by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare pursuant to section 134 of the mental retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Center Construction Act of 1963 or pursuant to title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965."

The regulations for the section 202 program state that housing projects assisted under this program are to be designed to provide an assured range of services, emphasizing those services that are delineated in the law.

Housing for the elderly must involve more than simple "shelter." A full range of health and social services should be available to older persons as they need them, regardless of whether they reside in single multifamily dwellings, and whether or not the housing is provided through public auspices. These services are helpful, and in many cases, vital to the ability of older persons to remain independent and in their own homes. Community-based, comprehensive, coordinated service systems for older Americans are now in the very early stages of development under title III of the Older Americans Act, through the efforts of State and area agencies on aging. These systems can and should provide services

to all of the elderly residents in public housing, whether or not they live in specially designed housing, as well as to the elderly living in other housing designed for their occupancy, and to the elderly in the community-at-large.

The Administration on Aging has developed 16 joint working agreements with other Federal departments and agencies. Two of the cooperative documents involve the Department of Housing and Urban Development: The first, a joint issuance by HUD and AOA on the community development block grant program, and the second, a statement of understanding between AOA and HUD to develop nutrition program sites in public housing.

This joint working agreement will focus on the linkage of services provided under titles III and VII of the Older Americans Act and facilities assisted under HUD's sections 202/8 programs.

III. DESCRIPTION OF HUD AND AOA PROGRAMS

In the Housing Act of 1949, the Congress declared that the "general welfare and security of the Nation and the health and living standards of its people require housing production and related community development sufficient to remedy the serious housing shortage, the elimination of substandard and other inadequate housing through the clearance of slums and blighted areas, and the realization as soon as feasible of the goal of a decent home and suitable living environment for every American family. . . ." The Congress affirmed the national goal of "a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family" in the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968.

In the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, the Congress also declared that the primary objective of Title I-Community Development, "is the development of viable urban communities, by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and moderate income."

Section 8(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, indicates that assistance payments may be made with respect to existing, newly constructed, and substantially rehabilitated housing, for the purpose of aiding lower-income families in obtaining a decent place to live and of promoting economically mixed housing. The purpose of "section 202, housing program for the elderly and handicapped," is to provide 100-percent permanent financing loans to private nonprofit sponsors, for the construction or substantial rehabilitation of housing and related facilities for the elderly, age 62 and over, and the handicapped.

The Older Americans Act, "Title III, State and Community Programs on Aging" and "Title VII, Nutrition Program for the Elderly," emphasizes the provision and coordination of social and nutrition services for low-income and minority group older persons.

IV. JOINT OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

AOA and HUD have identified joint objectives which will promote maximum coordination between HUD and AOA, using HUD's section 202/8 programs and AOA's titles III and VII programs to provide joint planning, programing and implementation of their activities designed to achieve their common objectives to: 1. Promote programs designed to bring about maximum coordination of planning and programing activities.

2. Encourage the development of comprehensive coordinated services to older persons in HUD-assisted housing through titles III and VII of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.

3. Focus on the inclusion of services for elderly and handicapped residents of new and substantially rehabilitated housing.

4. Encourage the involvement of elderly citizens in the planning of projects proposed under sections 202/8.

5. Promote maximum cooperation between HUD's community services advisors and elderly and handicapped coordinators and AOA's regional, State, and area agencies on aging.

6. Provide joint training or technical assistance for HUD's field staff administering the production and management of the section 202 program with respect to the social aspects of site selection, architecture, service space requirements, project management, function and responsibilities of sponsors, available social services, and related matters dealing with the elderly and handicapped.