GARY – Thanks to Centier Bank, residents of Woodlake Village III in Gary, IN will live in a safer and even more secure living environment.  Centier Bank recently joined CRA Partners and is helping vulnerable seniors by funding the Senior Crimestoppers program to protect those who live and work in this local care facility.

CRA Partners, powered by the Senior Housing Crime Prevention Foundation, is a national organization that guarantees banks federally mandated CRA credit through the operation of the turn-key Senior Crimestoppers program providing safe and secure living environments for our nation’s low to moderate income seniors. Through flexible funding options such as CRA-qualified community development loans, investments or grants, banks provide the program in senior housing facilities, HUD communities and state Veterans homes while garnering positive public relations exposure in their communities.

Crime against the elderly in our society is a longstanding, constant battle that can be reduced and prevented through the operation of the Senior Crimestoppers program in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.  Senior Crimestoppers is a coordinated set of components that work together to create a zero tolerance to crime platform in senior housing facilities.  Components include cash rewards up to $1,000 paid anonymously for information about wrongdoing of any kind, personal lockboxes for the residents, and effective, on-going education and training for staff members and residents.  Senior Crimestoppers has reduced all aspects of crime in participating facilities by 94%.

“Senior Crimestoppers is a way for an administrator to further enhance the lives of the residents they serve.  They all work very hard to provide safe, secure, comfortable living environments and their desire to implement the program is just one more example of this.  Implementing this program does not mean that the facility currently has a crime problem, but that the administrator is proactively finding a way to keep problems from occurring in the future,” said Terry Rooker, president of Senior Crimestoppers.

“We support the Senior Crimestoppers program because it is the right thing to do,” stated Mike Schrage, Centier Bank President & CEO.  “Empowering senior living residents through education, awareness, and resources makes a statement that crime against the elderly will not be tolerated.  We have supported this program in other Centier communities and are honored to support the residents of Woodlake Village III.”