Senior center sees need increase, funds decrease
Seniors feeling the pinch of the economic downturn are turning increasingly to charitable services to make ends meet. One such group, Catholic Charities CYO, offers food and other services for low-income seniors at the OMI Senior Center near San Francisco’s Ingleside Terraces.
A truck with food items like potatoes and cabbage arrives around 7 a.m., but some seniors arrive as early as 6 a.m. to secure a place in line. The earlier they arrive, the more access they have to more popular items that can run out after the morning rush. The center typically serves as many as 200 people per week, but has recently seen a noticeable increase.
The help with much-needed groceries frees up money for rent, utilities and medical expenses.
Maude Jordan, who has been participating in the program for 15 years, said the service is a lifesaver.
“The program means a whole lot, because I only get Social Security,” Jordan told Catholic San Francisco. “I also have a neighbor with five children, and I share my goodies with her.”
Jordan said the program has helped her pay for her medication, her mortgage and her PG&E bill, the latter with which many seniors in the program struggle.
Case manager Christian Irizarry said because of poor circulation, many seniors prefer to keep their homes warm. This leads to higher utility bills. Many seniors come in with cutoff notices and ask for help, she said. The center puts them in touch with PG&E, which has special services for seniors including discounts and payment plans.
Many seniors have been in their apartments for a long time, and have relatively low rent thanks to rent control. As a result, Irizarry said, some seniors face pressure from landlords looking for an excuse to evict them. Irizarry said without rent control many would be homeless.
Quality housing can be difficult to find, especially in San Francisco. Irizarry said many live in buildings without elevators, which becomes increasingly difficult to manage as they age. Seniors who own their homes often cannot afford maintenance costs.
With the cost of assisted living rising dramatically, this leaves some in a no-win situation. The center provides for the seniors by lessening the financial burdens they face.
The center also offers a substantial daily meal, sponsored by the City’s Department of Aging and Adult Services, priced at only $1.50. Irizarry said this meal is often the heartiest the seniors will have all day. Rounding out the center’s food offerings is a once-a-month food box, provided in partnership with the On Lok Foundation, filled with non-perishable items.
The seniors in the program typically live on fixed incomes of around $900 per month, mostly from pensions, Social Security or a combination of the two. With rising utility and medication prices, many face dire financial straits.
They are not alone. The senior center itself must contend with lowered shipments from their food provider, the San Francisco Food Bank. That, coupled with budget cuts, means the center must do more with less.
The center combats overhead costs by using mostly volunteer labor. Program director Patty Clement said the center logs around 500 hours of volunteer time every month. Clement explained that many area Catholics wonder why the center would face budget woes, mistakenly assuming CCCYO receives its budget directly from the Church.
“Our only funding from the Archdiocese comes from the annual Catholic Charities Appeal,” Clement said, explaining this is a relatively small portion of its operating budget. “There have been cuts across the board. We end up cutting services, or the number of clients. As the need increases, the funds decrease.”
For many seniors, the program makes all the difference. Flora Dillon, who has been coming to the center for 12 years, called the program “really important.”
“I have nowhere else to go,” said Dillon, who usually shows up later in the morning. “They treat you really nice.”
Dillon rides a motorized scooter because she says she cannot walk long distances. For her, the program is more than charity. It is also a social occasion.
“I come in here to see a few old friends,” Dillon said.
Aurelia Compoverde, a volunteer with the program for 11 years who first learned of the program when she took her own mother to secure food, said she has noticed the sizeable increase in seniors coming to the program. She said a few days prior there were 300 people at the center.
“The people keep coming, and they leave happy,” Compoverde said.
OMI stands for Oceanview, Merced, Ingleside, the three San Francisco neighborhoods served by the center.
By Michael Vick
