November 3, 2025
Village Movement California Wins National Award for Innovative Program Launching Communities Across State
American Public Health Association Honors Village Incubator as Seven New Villages Launch to Serve California’s Rapidly Growing Older Adult Population.
Village Movement California (VMC) has been awarded the prestigious Archstone Award for Excellence in Program Innovation by the American Public Health Association (APHA) for its groundbreaking Village Incubator program, which has successfully launched three new villages in 2024 and is currently supporting four additional communities preparing to launch in 2025.
The award, presented at the APHA 2025 Annual Meeting & Expo in Washington, D.C., recognizes the Village Incubator as a best practice model in aging and public health—one that can be replicated nationwide to enhance innovative services for older adults.
The Village Movement California Incubator provides comprehensive training, technical support, and resources to empower communities to organize and launch their own villages. The program addresses the unprecedented increase in California’s aging population by helping communities create locally tailored solutions.
In 2024, the Incubator successfully launched three villages: Sebastopol Village, Village Encinitas, and Village of Sonoma Valley. Building on this momentum, four additional villages are currently in the process of launching in 2025: Kern River Valley Senior Citizens, Inc. serving rural Kern County; 626 Village in Los Angeles; and Mt Diablo Village and San Ramon Valley Village serving Northern California’s Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. These seven new villages join 43 established villages in a network that spans California’s diverse geography, from rural areas to urban neighborhoods.
This recognition validates what we’ve witnessed in communities across California. When we invest in community-led solutions and provide the right support, we create sustainable models of care that can be adapted and replicated anywhere.
“California is facing an unprecedented demographic shift, and traditional approaches to ageing simply won’t meet the scale of need,” said Kate Hoepke, Board Chair of Village Movement California. “These seven villages represent something powerful: communities taking ownership of how they want to age. When we give people the tools and support to create their own solutions, they build something remarkable—networks of care, connection, and dignity that transform what it means to grow older. The Village Incubator proves that we can meet this moment, one community at a time.”
ADDRESSING CALIFORNIA’S AGING CRISIS
The timing couldn’t be more critical. California’s older adult population is projected to reach 10.8 million by 2030—making up one quarter of the state’s population. Significantly, 34% of the state’s older adults are moderate- and middle-income individuals—the “missing middle”—who don’t qualify for Medicaid benefits but can’t afford private health and aging resources. The village model offers a community-based solution specifically designed to serve this population.
WHAT IS A VILLAGE?
Villages are grassroots, member-driven organizations that help older adults age in their own homes and communities by providing access to services, social connections, and volunteer support. The model transforms isolated aging into community engagement, creating networks where neighbors help neighbors thrive.
There are currently 50 villages across California and over 375 throughout the United States, reaching thousands of older adults, their caregivers, and volunteers who contribute to a growing culture of care.
