SAC MIN 1996-06-13 - Laserfiche WebLink

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decided that they would hold off on the RFP and work on establishing the expectations of senior services for the facility in this six month period. Executive Director Maria Bransford explained that United Way funding to TEWCI has been reduced over the past 2 years and this has been very hard on the operation of the Fair Oaks Senior Center. She said TEWCI had no time to look for subsequent funding sources after the last United Way funding reduction. She said TEWCI is committed to provide needed senior services in the community and they currently provide essential services such as nutrition and recreation classes for seniors. Ms. Bransford felt the level of participation at the center has been down due to the construction at Fair Oaks and that they are still dealing with this issue. Currently the staff at the Fair Oaks Senior Center consists of herself,two staff people, four Title 5 workers,and several volunteers. They have not been doing any outreach services to seniors due to the construction and Ms. Bransford felt many seniors went away for that reason. They are hoping the participation at the Senior Center will increase since the construction is almost complete and there is now better accessibility for senior services with the County building next door. TEWCI Chairperson Ed Becks stated that he felt that review and analysis of this situation is necessary in order to determine commitment, decreased funding by City and County, and what level of service is acceptable for seniors. He mentioned that TEWCI was very involved in fundraising efforts for the TEWCI playground but now they will be focus their energies on TEWCI Senior Services. Commissioner Anthony offered the assistance of the Senior Affairs Commission on this matter. Superintendent Centeno said she will provide progress reports on the TEWCI issue to the Commission. She noted the Housing and Human Concerns Committee has been reducing grant amounts for the past 2 years and that is important to develop a joint recommendation on future service levels. Ms. Bransford said she was hoping the Senior Affairs Commission would return to their regular meeting schedule the construction at Fair Oaks is almost complete. The scheduled meeting date and time of the Senior Affairs Commission (2nd Thursday each month at 3:00pm) will be discussed at the July meeting.