Onondaga County: a Great place to be Young and Grow Old
FOCUS Greater Syracuse is working under contract with the Onondaga County Office of Aging Services and the Onondaga County Health Department to facilitate the Livable Community Alliance of Onondaga County.
The Livable Community Alliance is dedicated to engaging the public in creating systemic change to our policies and planning in order to shape a healthier community to be young and grow old with Onondaga County.
What is Livability?
What is livability? A livable community recognizes that all County policies and procedures impact the health and well-being of people. It recognizes that health is not just the absence of disease, but a state of well-being, and that health and well-being are influenced by the interaction of many factors and not simply by genetic factors, behavior, or medical care access. A livability mindset understands that, “conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age, known as the social determinants of health, have the greatest influence on health and well-being outcomes across populations.”*
Policies related to the economic, social, built and natural environments; to transportation, housing, development, energy, parks/recreation, preservation, and infrastructure; as well as health and social services can address social determinants of health that contribute to health inequities, thereby improving the public’s health and well-being. Livability therefore considers all these factors and builds a community in which all facets of government take responsibility for its people’s health, working towards a more equitable, sustainable, and livable community for all ages.
*Citation: Santa Cruz, Cal., Ordinance No. 2019-22, ch 6.02, § 6 (2019).
Livable Community Alliance Goals
Under the contract with the County, FOCUS Greater Syracuse is managing the Livable Community Alliance toward the following goals:
- Develop a baseline of livability for Onondaga County, what can be improved on, and what the community feels is important to focus on.
- Draft an Executive Order for the County Executive to review.
- Build a 3-year Action Plan to achieve our goals of a more Age-Friendly Onondaga County.
- Be recognized in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities
Onondaga county recognizes that people of all ages can benefit from and contribute to a more livable community.
For information regarding the Onondaga County Office for Aging Services, visit: http://www.ongov.net/aging/
For information regarding the Onondaga Health Department, visit: http://www.ongov.net/health/
If you would like more information regarding the Livable Community Alliance, or if you would like to get involved, please contact us at focus@syrgov.net, or call (315) 448-8732.