16 Hoosier Banker August 2015 PSP SHOWCASE The mission of the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation (SHCPF) is to provide safe, secure living environments to elderly individuals by implementing crime prevention programs in nursing homes, senior Department of Housing and Urban Development housing venues and veterans’ homes. Banks of any asset size or charter type can sponsor the nationally acclaimed Senior Crimestoppers, available through SHCPF, to combat crimes against the elderly. Participation additionally earns the sponsoring bank Community Reinvestment Act credit. Involvement is easy. A bank chooses whether to structure its commitment as a community development loan, investment or grant, depending on the bank’s need or preference for CRA credit. Once the bank’s financial commitment is in place, SHCPF collaborates with the bank to identify senior living facilities to sponsor. SHCPF then implements the Senior Crimestoppers program in the facility ‒ including training of facility staff ‒ and helps the bank coordinate a media event to spotlight its community service to seniors. The bank benefits from participation by earning CRA credit on its loan, investment and possibly service test sections of its CRA exam. The bank also receives positive publicity by promoting quality-of-life programs for seniors. Flexibility is a hallmark of this program, which offers the sponsoring bank multiple funding options, assessment areas and choices of facilities. SHCPF would like to thank Centier Bank, Northern Indiana; Lake City Bank, Warsaw; MainSource Bank, Greensburg; Old National Bank, Evansville; and State Bank of Lizton for their participation in the nationwide program. These financial institutions have loaned, invested or granted more than $11.6 million to help provide safe living environments to over 1,165 Indiana seniors who reside in nursing homes, HUD senior housing communities or veterans’ homes. The nursing homes that have implemented the Senior Crimestoppers program have experienced a 94 percent reduction in crime incidents. A trusted provider of elder abuse prevention programs in senior care facilities, SHCPF acts as an informational resource on a wide range of issues, both inside and outside of traditional, long-term care settings. To enhance its messaging, SHCPF has produced the “Preventing Elder Financial Abuse Video Toolkit,” giving banks the ability to educate the community at large on signs of elder financial abuse, and how to prevent it. The kit includes a video ‒ with information adapted from the Money Smart for Older Adults program of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ‒ and customizable handouts and news releases. To make a presentation using the toolkit, first prepare for a media event by completing and distributing the fill-in press release, and personalize and print out the handouts. At the media event, have the handouts available and: • Introduce self and others from the bank; • Show the video; • Answer questions from the audience. There is no need for notetaking among attendees, because information is summarized in the handouts. For the closing questionand-answer session, invite local law enforcement, attorneys, financial advisers and officers of Indiana Adult Protective Services to attend the event to help field questions. Protecting the Elderly While Earning CRA Credit About the Author Lori L. Millar is vice president, communications and marketing for the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation. She joined the organization 11 years ago and has more than 25 years of experience in journalism, advertising, marketing, printing and sales. Millar is a graduate of the University of Memphis. The author can be reached at 877-232-0859, email: Lori.Millar@shcpfoundation.org. The Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation is a Preferred Service Provider of the Indiana Bankers Association.
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