EngAging Illinois aims to make the state a great place to grow old. What could it mean for Evanston?

Evanston resident and AARP volunteer John Straus gives the group five stars. “These guys have their act together,” he said. “I’m not stuffing envelopes. I’m going to Springfield and knocking on doors and talking to people.” Credit: Ned Schaub In John Straus condominium building at Chicago Avenue and Main Street, about half a dozen retired couples have moved in over the last five years or so. The neighbors have a name for it: their “naturally occurring retirement community.” The term, often shortened to NORC, is what aging experts call a building or neighborhood where many residents have grown older in place, even though it wasn t built for older adults. Places like Straus building are among the things a new state plan wants to support, along with family caregivers, accessible sidewalks and transportation, home repairs that let people stay put, and housing older adults can afford. EngAging Illinois: A Comprehensive Plan for Living Well, released in January by the Illinois Dep