June 2026

What began in 2023 as a vision for our senior community has finally found its footing.

When the YMCA decided to sell their Birmingham branch at 400 East Lincoln, the City of Birmingham committed $1.5 million toward the purchase. Next contributed an additional $500,000, with both entities providing additional funding for professional services.

After thoroughly exploring an expanded partnership with the YMCA that ultimately proved too large and too costly to bring to voters, in 2026, the City of Birmingham and Next returned to its original, community-centered plan: a dedicated facility where Birmingham's seniors will have a true home.

With a lease now agreed upon and a floor plan approved, the focus has shifted to the exciting phase of designing the interior spaces that will genuinely serve the needs of our 50-plus community.

This isn't just construction. It's a commitment, and commitments like this matter more than most people realize.

Drive through Birmingham and you'll find an abundance of amenities for younger residents; a dozen playgrounds, a skate park, ice rink, robust youth programming, and state of the art schools with a multitude of extracurricular activities.

Throughout this process, I heard concerns from seniors. It was troubling to learn that our older residents felt that once they age, they became less worthy of community resources. Older residents want what everyone wants, a space designed with their interests in mind. A safe place to gather, learn new skills, stay mentally sharp, and find connection.

Older residents carry the history of Birmingham in their hands. They have raised children, built businesses, volunteered, supported city-wide initiatives, survived loss, celebrated milestones, and shown up, decade after decade for this community. A space designed with older adults in mind isn't charity, it’s gratitude, and overdue.

We are grateful that this city commission is seeing through one of their top priorities, a new, better suited space for Next. This will not only be a place that offers unique day-to-day activities our members love, but also programs that promote healthy aging while also serving our most vulnerable residents, whether or not they hold a Next membership.

The science on aging and community is well documented. People thrive when they feel they belong, when they have a place to go where someone knows your name, where you might learn something new, laugh at something unexpected, or simply sit with another person who understands where you've been. For older adults, that kind of connection isn't just nice, it's one of the most powerful forces in human health and happiness. We are all wired for community. When that community exists, people show up differently. They stay curious, stay engaged, and stay healthier, longer. That is what this new space will mean to our community; a safe, welcoming, purposeful place to show up.

As we continue designing the interior spaces, being deliberate and thoughtful about accessibility, programming and comfort, we are guided by a straightforward belief that community isn't something a city has. It's something a city does. It is creating spaces and opportunities to connect to one another.

Birmingham is doing that. Next is doing that. And we are closer than ever to making a new home for our 50+ community a reality.

Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next