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Dorchester Seniors seeks funding to expand wraparound services, transportation and home care
Summary
Dorchester Seniors, Inc. asked the county to support an expanded wraparound model for aging residents — including transportation, meals, home care and a proposed staffing increase — citing high program use and unmet demand in Somerville and St. George.
Laquenta West, executive director of Dorchester Seniors, presented the nonprofit’s five‑year strategic plan May 11 and requested county support to expand services that keep older adults independent and connected.
West said the organization is developing a wraparound model that combines prevention, intervention and stabilization. The plan includes partnerships with MUSC for on‑site screenings and telehealth, collaboration with Keys to Change on housing stability, and an expanded essential‑trip transportation model that would provide dedicated drivers for medical appointments, prescription pick‑ups and grocery shopping.
Brandon Lur, a presenter with the centers, described program scale: Somerville’s center serves more than 1,000 members with roughly 50,000 program interactions last fiscal year and north of 120,000 program hours; St. George’s center reaches about 200 members. The organization also reported increasing its minimum caregiver wage to $16 per hour and said funding would add roughly eight employees to support the expanded model.
The presenters described meal and transportation mechanics under the Trident Area Agency on Aging (TAA) contracting model and noted limits in reimbursements and unreimbursed miles; they said additional local funding would allow the centers to expand essential rides (projected 3–5 essential trips per day per center under the future model) and increase meals served from about 107,000 to roughly 121,000 annually with additional funding.
Councilors praised the centers’ work and posed operational questions about volunteer capacity and reimbursement mechanics; the presenters replied that additional county funding would enable more stable staffing and dedicated transportation capacity.
