Sullivan County Office for the Aging: some federal cuts remain but local programs, RFPs and cooling assistance continue

A representative of the Sullivan County Office for the Aging told the planning committee that federal budget negotiations ultimately left many aging and disability programs intact, but that specific grants have been reduced and some programs were eliminated from the proposed budget.

The presenter said advocacy helped restore most programs in the White House’s final budget but that some grants were cut or reduced. The Alzheimer’s grants received a 50% cut in the budget materials discussed at the meeting and the presenter said the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) had been removed from the initial proposal. She said the administration reorganized the federal office that houses aging programs: rather than splitting services, the programs were kept together under the Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (the presenter noted this follows the prior Administration for Community Living structure).

Locally, the Office for the Aging’s four-year plan was approved and the agency received a notice of grant award on May 14. The RSVP volunteer program’s federal funding was eliminated; the presenter said the county has submitted a final report and had a resolution under consideration to rename the program and move forward locally. The presenter identified Cornell Cooperative Extension as a contract partner for senior fitness and chronic-disease self-management programs and reported 72 class participants had completed recent fitness sessions across five nutrition sites.

The cooling benefit opened April 15 and remains active while funding is available; seniors can apply through the Office for the Aging. The presenter said transportation planning is moving forward: two proposals were received to update the county’s coordinated transportation plan and there was a resolution on the agenda to contract with Kittleson & Associates for consulting services.

Committee members asked about bus shelters; the presenter said constructing shelters requires engineering, concrete foundations and permits, and that prevailing-wage requirements and other code issues can substantially increase costs. She said one Liberty shelter project she referenced had required a large capital outlay.

The presenter also noted that the Child Care Council took over a children’s center formerly run by Head Start at the Family Court site; the center has a new director, revamped programming, and will host an open house on June 13 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The county issued a request for proposals for youth programming with $150,000 in county funding; staff received 37 applications from 34 entities and a resolution to award contracts was expected.

The presenter closed by noting continued demand for food services in the county and that federal test-kit supplies provided during COVID were exhausted.

Sources: Sullivan County Office for the Aging presentation and staff remarks to the planning committee.