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Elder Affairs reports steady programs and warns meals, staffing could be hit by cuts
Summary
The city's Elder Affairs director described ongoing grants, satellite centers and a five-day meal program at the Ray Jordan Center, and said a mayoral 3% reduction would likely force choices such as charging fees or reducing meals per center.
Roy Goodman, director of Springfield's Elder Affairs, briefed councilors on senior services and said program activity is high across the city's four centers.
Goodman said the department operates three federal grants (the Council on Aging grant, SHINE for Medicare assistance, and a senior employment program) and that the primary Council on Aging grant averages roughly $450,000'$490,000 per year and remains a critical funding source. He told the hearing the grant has several years remaining in its current term.
On meals, Goodman said the city's current vendor contract costs "a little over $250,000" a year and that the average cost per meal under the contract is about $10. At the Ray Jordan Center the program provides meals five days a week; smaller satellites operate two or three days a week; one North End satellite had stopped meals because of low acceptance. Goodman said that if the mayor's 3% reduction were enforced, the department would likely need to either charge participants a fee or reduce the number of meals provided at centers.
Goodman outlined a staffing and facilities wish list including a full-time kitchen staff position and front-desk help to avoid pulling program staff into meal preparation. He also described recent investments and events (field trips, fashion show, community listening session on aging and dementia) and said the department recently hired an outreach coordinator and a program assistant.
Councilors pressed for follow-up on possible reallocation among centers (for example moving unused meal dollars to Hungry Hill) and on potential use of ARPA dollars for neighborhood senior services. Goodman and staff said they would follow up on specific site reallocations and noted some ARPA-supported neighborhood efforts already in place.
