Presentation Title: The Elder Economic Security Standard in policy and practice

California's Elder Economic Security Initiative™ (Cal-EESI) is a coalition of over 50 organizations statewide, led by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. Building on a statewide advisory committee and three local coalitions, the Cal-EESI developed a series of strategies for using the Elder Economic Security Standard to promote the ability of older Californians to live with dignity and economic well-being in their own homes. The initiative was publicly launched at a California State Senate hearing in early 2008. The long term goal of Cal-EESI is to catalyze a paradigm shift in policy, advocacy, and direct services to better meet the needs of California's elders. Using the analysis provided by the California Elder Economic Security Standard, Cal-EESI's specific policy agenda included protecting senior programs against reductions during efforts to balance the state budget, embedding the more realistic Elder Standard as a benchmark used in state and local planning, and raising public awareness about the precarious economic position of many of the state's elders. This presentation describes the process of building coalitions in California around elder economic security, the role of public health and other issues in motivating participation in the coalition, and summarizes the success to date in using the standard in public policy and planning.