AARP Nebraska and Partners for Livable Omaha invite the public to experience aging-ready housing at free September events

OurStory Small Houses open house tours bring aging-ready housing ideas to life in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. — AARP Nebraska and Partners for Livable Omaha invite the public to a series of free September events centered on aging-ready housing as part of the OurStory Small Houses initiative.

Free events include a Sept. 9 webinar on backyard cottage accessory dwelling units; Sept. 12 and 13 open house tours; and a Sept. 14 ribbon cutting with Omaha Mayor John Ewing Jr. to celebrate the end of major construction on the first two OurStory homes.

To register for events, visit www.livable.org/events. To view renderings and floor plans, visit www.ourstoryhouses.com.

The open houses are supported by a 2026 AARP Community Challenge grant awarded to Partners for Livable Omaha. The organization was one of 750 grantees selected from 5,100 applications nationwide.

The first OurStory homes, called Benson House and Corby House, are located side by side in Omaha’s historic Benson neighborhood. The homes were created through the OurStory Small Houses initiative to demonstrate how smaller homes can support independence, safety, energy efficiency and changing needs over time.

Guided tours will highlight aging-ready features including zero-step entries, customizable storage systems and all-electric, energy-efficient construction.

To reduce long-term maintenance needs and improve performance, the homes feature durable, low-maintenance products from Sherwin-Williams and Pella Windows & Doors of Omaha and Lincoln.

Designed by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Architecture’s FACT designbuild studio and built by Holy Name Housing Corporation, Benson House and Corby House provide tangible examples of how smaller, thoughtfully designed homes can create new housing choices in established neighborhoods.

The work comes as Omaha advances Age-Friendly Omaha, a broader effort to improve livability for older adults and help residents remain connected to their communities as they age.

Benson House and Corby House are scheduled for final completion in October, but the project team is opening the doors early to give the community a first look and start conversations about what new housing choices could look like in Omaha.

In October, the homes will reopen to the public for tours in partnership with MillerKnoll and Omaha-based AOI Corporation and feature furnishings selected to complement their aging-ready design.

Visitors in October will experience how thoughtful furnishings — including supportive seating, accessible dining surfaces and adaptable workspaces — can work alongside architecture to create homes that are comfortable, functional and welcoming across ages and abilities.

Todd Stubbendieck, state director for AARP Nebraska, said the project gives residents the opportunity to experience age-friendly housing ideas firsthand, calling that real-world exposure an important part of improving quality of life in the Greater Omaha region. As he noted, the open houses are about “giving residents and caregivers a chance to experience those ideas firsthand.”

“We are incredibly proud that AARP selected us for this investment,” said Jessica Scheuerman, founder and executive director of Partners for Livable Omaha. “September gives us the opportunity to move from talking about housing solutions to experiencing them through conversations with local experts and by inviting people to walk through real homes as they near completion to see what aging-ready design looks and feels like.”

Ryan ZimmerMas, community contact for Age-Friendly Omaha, said the project helps translate the often-abstract conversation about aging in place into something residents, builders and developers can actually experience. “This is the kind of project that makes the age-friendly conversation real,” ZimmerMas said.

About the AARP Community Challenge

The AARP Community Challenge supports quick-action projects designed to make communities more livable for people of all ages, including projects related to housing, transportation, public spaces and community connection.

About Partners for Livable Omaha

Partners for Livable Omaha is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the livability of communities throughout the Omaha metro. Its OurStory Small Houses initiative is advancing small, aging-ready and energy-efficient housing approaches for Omaha and beyond. www.livable.org