Coalition of agencies serving elders says City College cancellations threaten older-adult programs and instructors

Greg Moore, cochair of the Coalition of Agencies Serving Elders (CASE), used the commission’s CASE report to alert commissioners that City College canceled nearly all older-adult curriculum for the spring 2020 term and said CASE will send a letter to the chancellor and trustees and pursue advocacy.

Reading a draft letter, Moore said the cancellations will have “a cascading effect on the programming of all our community partners” and will “imperil thousands of people's lives who come to these classes to learn new skills, find friends, find purpose, and stave off isolation and depression.” The letter requests that the college work with community partners and seek partnerships to restore classes.

Moore summarized CASE’s 2021 budget request elements that the coalition will forward to DAS: outreach funding for agencies to make the public aware of resources, targeted funding to engage isolated LGBTQ individuals (proposed $250,000), provider trainings (proposed $60,000) and behavioral-health supports (proposed $300,000), along with plans to compile local impact data. He said the letter and a petition will be distributed to trustees, supervisors and community partners as part of the advocacy effort.

Commissioners asked whether CASE would provide the commission with copies of the letter and data; Moore said they would. DAS staff said the department would reach out to City College to request a conversation. No formal action or vote was taken on the matter beyond the informational report.

Next steps outlined by CASE include finalizing the letter, distributing a petition (initially paper-based), compiling counts of affected classes and instructors, and coordinating advocacy with DAS and member agencies.