Work begins on a master plan for people aging in the Salinas Valley.

Raymond Torres, a native of Soledad, was diagnosed with disabilities over 25 years ago and within a couple of years was connected to housing and services through the nonprofit Central Coast Center for Independent Living. At 63, he’s doing well, living independently in a subsidized senior apartment complex in Monterey. He’s not shy talking about his experiences with others in need of help. “I try to show them, it can be done. It’s not the end of the world,” Torres says.

Torres’ experiences and passion for outreach made him an ideal choice for a new steering committee to create a master plan on aging and living with disabilities in the Salinas Valley, made possible by a $200,000 grant from the California Department of Aging to Salinas-based Alliance on Aging in August. He was recommended by CCCIL to provide his insights to the committee.

The nonprofit applied for the grant specifically for the Salinas Valley – one of 15 regions in the state that received funding – because it’s historically been underserved and because of its unique geography, with towns spread far enough apart that distances can lead to people feeling isolated, says Alliance on Aging Executive Director John McPherson. “We want to see if there are opportunities to address the needs of seniors and people who are disabled in those communities,” as well as determine ways to better connect them to each other, he says.

A steering committee of nearly 50 representatives from the Salinas Valley was created, then divided into three subcommittees. Their charge is to develop a Local Aging and Disability Plan, part of the larger Master Plan for Aging created by Gov. Gavin Newsom via executive order in 2019. The steering committee first met the week of Oct. 16. In early January they will release a community survey, and later will analyze the results and create an action plan that will be presented to cities and the County of Monterey in early 2025.

One focus of the committee’s work, McPherson says, is to create a short list of actionable ideas for improving people’s quality of life, as well as extending life expectancies. From Torres’ vantage point, he sees two challenges that need improvement: housing and transportation.

The state’s master plan focuses on five goals: increasing housing; closing the health care equity gap; preventing isolation; creating a million “high-quality” caregiving jobs; and increasing economic sufficiency among seniors.