Partners for Livable Omaha Selected as a 2026 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Aging-ready features of Corby House. Designed by UNL College of Architecture’s FACT designbuild studio. Credit: FACT
OMAHA, Neb. — Partners for Livable Omaha is thrilled to announce that it has been selected to receive a 2026 AARP Community Challenge grant. This year, only 750 grantees were chosen from 5,100 applications from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With this quick-action grant, Partners for Livable Omaha will host an open house weekend at two newly constructed OurStory Small Houses — Benson House and Corby House — located side-by-side in Omaha’s historic Benson neighborhood.
The open house will give residents age 50+, caregivers, housing professionals, local builders, and community members the opportunity to tour real homes designed to support independence, safety, and long-term affordability. Guided tours will highlight aging-ready features including zero-step entries, wide circulation paths, adaptable built-ins, reinforced walls for future safety modifications, and energy-efficient construction that can help reduce long-term utility and maintenance costs.
Benson is a vibrant, early-20th-century Omaha neighborhood where much of the existing housing stock is aging and difficult to modify for long-term accessibility. As mobility needs change, many older residents face relocation rather than being able to age in place. This project offers a tangible, real-world example of how smaller, thoughtfully designed homes can create new options for residents who want to remain in walkable, established neighborhoods.
Renderings of Corby House and Benson House. Credit: FACT.
Designed by the UNL College of Architecture’s FACT designbuild studio, the OurStory Small Houses fill a critical gap in the market for homes that are small, constructible, financeable, environmentally sustainable, and empowering for residents as they age.
This work comes at a pivotal moment as Omaha advances Age-Friendly Omaha, a community-wide effort to improve livability for older adults through coordinated, cross-sector action. The OurStory open house highlights the importance of real, built examples of housing that support independence, expand options for aging in place, and help residents live, remain, and thrive as they age.
“Communities across Nebraska are eager for real solutions that boost mobility, connection, and quality of life,” said Todd Stubbendieck, State Director for AARP Nebraska. “This grant-supported initiative will make a meaningful difference for the Greater Omaha region by highlighting the importance of age-friendly housing and giving residents a chance to experience those ideas firsthand. We’re excited to see this come to life.”
Corby House and Benson House renders created by UNL College of Architecture’s FACT designbuild studio. Credit: FACT
The project builds on AARP’s 2025 support for the OurStory architectural internship program, which helped advance builder-ready, aging-ready home plans. In 2026, this work moves from planning into built reality. The tours will highlight practical, everyday design benefits for residents, caregivers, and housing professionals.
“We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Partners for Livable Omaha for this investment to help make Omaha more livable for residents of all ages,” said Jessica Scheuerman, Executive Director of Partners for Livable Omaha. “AARP is a national leader in supporting communities to become more livable, and we are honored that they recognize the value of demonstrating aging-ready housing in real homes, in a real neighborhood, where residents can experience these ideas firsthand.”
“This is the kind of project that makes the age-friendly conversation real,” said Ryan ZimmerMas, Community Contact for Age-Friendly Omaha. “We talk a lot about aging in place, but people need to be able to see it, walk through it, and understand what age-ready housing actually looks like. That’s what this does — it gives residents, developers, and builders a tangible example of how we can design housing to work better as people age, which is exactly what we’re trying to promote through Age-Friendly Omaha.”
About the AARP Community Challenge
The AARP Community Challenge grant program supports quick-action projects that improve public places, housing, transportation, digital connectivity, disaster resilience, and more. These grants are part of AARP’s broader Livable Communities initiative, which helps neighborhoods, towns, cities, and counties across the country become great places for people of all ages.
AARP believes communities should offer safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to essential services; and opportunities for residents to engage and participate fully in community life.
To explore all 750 projects funded this year — or to view an interactive map of current and past Community Challenge projects — visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge. Learn more about AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities work at AARP.org/Livable.
Progress on Benson House construction. Credit: FACT
