United Way pulls back senior funding

Senior centers throughout Snohomish County have been dealt a financial blow, after a recent decision by United Way of Snohomish County to discontinue funding that's been in place for four decades.-á

Senior centers in Sultan and Monroe were both impacted, along with centers in Edmonds, Bothell, Arlington and Snohomish. The decision not to fund individual senior centers came on the heels of an announcement by United Way that the 2016GÇô17 grant cycle would focus on "breaking the cycle of poverty by supporting programs that use an integrated services approach.GÇ¥

The integrated services model incorporates a comprehensive strategy, including multigenerational programs that address poverty by serving families as a whole.

According to United Way Director of Marketing and Communications Jacqui Campbell, there simply aren't enough resources to address all the needs. In order to maximize United Way's available funding, the nonprofit has committed to taking a more holistic approach by funding programs that tightly align with its new focus, she said.-á

In the 2017 grant cycle, United Way received applications for 107 programs from 45 organizations totaling $4.4 million. With only $2 million available to invest, Campbell said United Way's volunteer grand readers were instructed to prioritize programs that promised to directly serve clients experiencing poverty and specifically expressed how the program would address poverty.-á

"As a result of these changes to United Way's focus and process, a number of proposals submitted for comprehensive senior programming were not selected for program grant funding this cycle,GÇ¥ Campbell said.

And while the senior center funding was cut, a total of 32 of the 56 funded programs did include services for individuals 65 and over, Campbell said.-á

"The need in our community to serve vulnerable populations is great,GÇ¥ Campbell said. "Our funding is never enough, and additional resources are always needed.GÇ¥

To see a complete list of the funded programs, visit www.uwsc.org/documents/programgrants6-16b.pdf.

East County Senior Center

The East County Senior Center in Monroe serves between 100-150 seniors a day, with roughly 1,500 seniors per year accessing services at the center. The United Way grant funding added up to a total of $30,000 per year; $5,000 for the transportation program and $25,000 for general expenses.

The funding penciled out at roughly 7 percent of the senior center's annual operating budget, said director Jacob McGee, and losing it is significant.

"It's very, very devastating,GÇ¥ McGee said. "$30,000 is a big hit to us.GÇ¥

McGee, on the job since former director Mark Avni retired in April, was immediately faced with how to make adjustments to accommodate the shortfall. Fortunately for the center, there was a salary gap between what McGee makes and what Avni was making, so the recent transition in leadership ended up both timely and advantageous. This and other changes to the center's level of staffing ' transitioning from full-time staff to part time ' will help make up the difference.-á

"The staffing changes are what's going to save us,GÇ¥ McGee said. "It will hurt the senior center, but we've had some recent staffing changes that lessen the impact.GÇ¥

At the same time, that $30,000 isn't coming back, McGee said, so the senior center needs to start looking for ways to make up the loss.

During the last fiscal year, the East County Senior Center operated on budget of roughly $459,000, with funding through a variety of sources, including United Way, Snohomish County, the city of Monroe, membership dues, facility rentals, the annual auction, the senior center thrift store and recreational activities like bingo. The money was immediately distributed back out in services, including meals, transportation, staffing, bingo payouts, fuel for the transportation program, professional fees and other programming expenses.

Senior center directors in Snohomish County were aware of United Way's new focus on breaking the cycle of poverty through integrated services, McGee said, so they decided to take a collaborative approach during the grant application process.

Applications were due by the end of March, and center directors from Monroe, Edmonds, Bothell, Arlington and Snohomish all teamed up, hoping to demonstrate that services provided by senior centers can help break the cycle of poverty. They applied for a total of $150,000 in funding; $30,000 for each of the five centers.

They were hopeful it would fulfil the new criteria, but none of the centers were awarded funding. Directors were frustrated by the decision, penning a statement that was distributed to local media.

"UWSC's new theme "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty' was interpreted in a bizarre way as if no seniors are poor, when in fact seniors are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population nationwide,GÇ¥ they wrote. "Five regional Senior Centers applied collaboratively for funding ($30,000 each for a total $150,000) to create a county-wide network to address poverty issues among seniors.GÇ¥

They called the decision sad and outrageous.

"Poverty is a real issue for many Snohomish County Seniors ' adults 65 and older sustained the largest increases in poverty of any group in recent years,GÇ¥ they wrote.

McGee said there are many ways to help support the East County Senior Center, including monetary donations, volunteering, shopping at the Fabulous Finds onsite thrift store and advertising in the Grapevine newsletter. Donating items that can be sold in the thrift store is another way to contribute.

For more information about the East County Senior Center or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit eastcountyseniorcenter.org.

Sky Valley Senior Center

The Sky Valley Senior Center in Sultan operates as part of the Volunteers of America Western Washington Sky Valley Community Resource Center. The-á VOA senior center was founded in 2009 by a group of local volunteers, and has always operated on a shoestring budget. There were roughly 100 members during the last official count, with 30-40 people stopping by daily for lunch.

The United Way grant funding covered more than half of the center's operating budget, with an annual award of $21,000.

VOA Director Calei Vaughn said while she understands the decision, it's still a big hit.

"I really get what United Way is doing. They want to support the integrated service delivery model, and that's what we do here,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We serve from early childhood through seniors, so I get that.GÇ¥

The senior center brings in roughly $15,000 a year on its own, most coming from the lunch program. During the 2016GÇô17 United Way grant cycle, Vaughn applied for three separate grants, one for the senior center, another for administrative costs related to operations at the resource center and one for at-risk youth served through a partnership with the Sultan Community Alliance, which she chairs.

She was awarded $48,000 for the Sky Valley Community Resource Center, while the senior center and youth grants were declined.

Shutting down the senior center isn't an option, she said. There are a lot of seniors in the Sky Valley either in poverty or on the brink, she said, unable to afford food or critical household repairs. A Sky Valley resident since 1979, Vaughn is determined to find a way to help.

"When we got to that fork in the road and it was the choice between closing the doors or figuring out how to do it differently, closing the doors was off the table,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We just can't do that.GÇ¥

The VOA is grateful for United Way's past support of the senior center, Vaughn said, as well as its current support of the VOA's suite of offices. Although it will be challenging to continue operations, she is hopeful the community will step up and help.-á

"We have 4,500 residents in Sultan; if we can get one dollar a month from each one of our 4,500 residents, we'd be in a really good place,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We'd have a really strong ability to do what we need to do, including keep the doors open at the senior center.GÇ¥

Vaughn enjoys working with seniors and is well-known for her community advocacy. In addition to being named the Sky Valley Citizen of the Year during this year's Sky Valley Community Awards Ceremony, Vaughn also received the Charles "OleGÇ¥ Carlson Masonic Citizenship Award. During her speech, she said she was honored that the award was in Carlson's name, and described a recent interaction with Carlson at the senior center that meant a lot to her.

Carlson has been a longtime senior center user, supporter and volunteer, as has his wife, Marlene.

"If I didn't work here, I would work with seniors in some capacity. It's just where my heart is,GÇ¥ Vaughn said. "We owe it to them.GÇ¥-á

Vaughn plans to initiate a giving campaign to generate support to keep the senior center open, but it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. As of last week, the VOA Sultan Food Bank is without its primary pickup and delivery truck, which was stolen during the early morning hours on Wednesday, June 22.

Despite the roadblocks, she's not ready to give up, she said.

"It's a new challenge and a new puzzle, and I'm trying to put it together,GÇ¥ Vaughn said.

To support operations at the Sky Valley Senior Center, visit www.voaww.org. Donations are routed through VOA headquarters in Everett, but can be designated to support Sky Valley programming. To support the senior center, select "Sultan Senior Center,GÇ¥ on the pull-down list of the Gift Designation section of the "DonateGÇ¥ page. Eighty-six cents of every dollar donated is funneled straight back into VOA programs.