Stage Three: Partnership Development

Now that you have built your case for partnership and made some initial connections (see Stage One and Stage Two respectively), the steps below will assist you in forming and solidifying your partnership in earnest.  

• Start partnerships with concrete, feasible activities rather than broad or ambitious initiatives.
  • Identify some initial activities for the goal, possibly low- or no-cost options.
  • Define roles, responsibilities and timelines for each partner.
     
• Develop both formal and informal communication mechanisms.
  • Maintain ongoing dialogue through regular check-ins and informal channels, such as emails.
     
• Create opportunities for leadership to interact, set goals and monitor progress.
  • Join your partner’s advisory board and/or become a member of their organization.
     
• Continue to develop your partnership after achieving your initial goals by progressing to intermediate projects or choosing another small activity.
   
• Determine the level of formality that makes sense for your partnership.
  • Will there be funding intermingling or transfers? Will any individuals’ data be shared?
    • If yes: A contract or other formal written agreement will ensure a clear, mutual understanding and protects both organizations.
    • If no: An informal partnership might be an appropriate starting point.
      • Reevaluate the need for formalization once a year.
  • Strong partnerships can exist with formal and informal agreements, but formalization fosters sustainability and protects both organizations.

Initial Activities
Many Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and Continuum of Care (CoC) partnerships started with these goals and initial activities.

• Intermediate Steps to Continue Building on Your Partnership
  • Advocate together for a common interest.
    • Mobilize for affordable housing, age-friendly policies, a pilot project, a policy change that would simplify coordination or other solution for a community issue.
      • Leverage your existing relationships with elected officials on behalf of your partner’s interests as well as your own. You are on the same team!
  • Reach out to local and state decision-makers with support from cross-sector stakeholders. Incorporate their data and expertise to strengthen your requests and build trust with your partners.
    • Collaborating on shared interests paves the way for building extensive partnerships in the future.
  • Assign specific staff members to receive intensive cross-training on each organization’s systems and best practices for serving the population.
    • Select from frontline staff, supervisors or both depending on your capabilities and goals.
  • Create roles for specialists or navigators with expertise in coordinating across systems to provide person-centered support for older adults.
    • Recruiting and hiring staff who have experience in other sectors will make this easier.
  • Develop initial bidirectional referral pathways.
  • Find ways to coordinate directly on individuals’ complex situations, such as through interdisciplinary case conferencing.
  • Use existing relationships when available to develop cross-sector collaboration.
    • Identify organizational commonalities that can be leveraged. For example, if you are in a government-based organization, consider partnering with a different department rather than operating in isolation.  
      • Tip: Stage One and Stage Two can help you get a sense of possible commonalities.
  • Create opportunities to engage with leaders and decision-makers from each other’s organizations, such as inviting them to a board meeting.

Putting It Into Action: Partnership Progression!


Suburban Cook County, IL
In 2019, coordinated entry staff at the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County (a CoC) met with program staff at AgeOptions (the AAA in suburban Cook County) and realized that their advocacy efforts could be more impactful through better coordination. This advocacy resulted in securing dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act to be spent on a housing project through the Illinois Department on Aging. Cooperation continued to progress, with the AAA providing Aging Network training to the CoC and the CoC giving presentations about homelessness to AAA staff and its local-level providers. Eventually, this led to cross-training for staff at both agencies, allowing them to tap into each organization’s expertise, and the recorded training is now available on demand for staff.

Southeastern Virginia
The Planning Council and Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia—serving as the region’s CoC and AAA respectively—had previously collaborated on efforts such as community needs assessments and strategic planning. However, their work remained relatively siloed until December 2020, when the CoC’s CEO approached the AAA’s CEO to explore ways to strengthen the community’s response to homelessness among older adults. As the number of older adults experiencing homelessness increased, and as the COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the severe impacts of homelessness on affected populations, the CEOs decided that a partnership between the two organizations would help address the need for aging services within this population. They formed the Coalition for Homeless Older Adults, bringing together stakeholders from multiple service sectors to improve coordination across systems. The AAA brought supportive services and the CoC provided housing expertise. Over time, this cross-sector collaboration has deepened, addressing numerous gaps, including providing nutrition services for older adults in homeless shelters and onsite support at day centers and permanent supportive housing.