Senior Center Officials Hope Grant Will Help Keep Elderly In Princeton

Matthew Hersh

Princeton Senior Resource Center has received a $20,000 grant from the J. Seward Johnson Sr. Trust that will likely be appropriated for the enhancement of programming and services, organization officials said.

Offering senior services in and around the Princeton area, PSRC will use the money to help mitigate the situation of seniors who are leaving the area for less expensive housing options and to ease potential cuts in funding from the Princeton Borough Housing Authority, said Susan Hoskins, PSRC executive director.

More specifically, she added, the money will be used to finance support groups, educational programs, and support and case management services provided by the housing authority.

With the grant covering only a fraction of the entire $300,000 agency budget of PSRC, Ms. Hoskins emphasized the importance of supporting a diverse community that includes a thriving senior population, adding that keeping information and programming available to seniors is part of keeping that demographic in Princeton.

"Oftentimes, it's hard enough to say 'I need some help,' but then to figure out where to get that help is a whole second hurdle," Ms. Hoskins said, adding that a core mission of PSRC is to "get people to stay in the community as long as that's safe and practical."

About 29 percent of PSRC funding is provided through foundations and grants, 29 percent from municipal aid, nine percent from participant fees and building rentals, and 33 percent from individual donations. Other monies come into the organization through various fund-raising efforts, such as this Saturday's "Cotton Club" jazz event at the Suzanne Patterson Center. "We're trying to offer things that are inclusive in terms of participation," Ms. Hoskins said.

Other donations come from local corporations and businesses, the PSRC executive added. Those connections are either made through knowing someone at the corporation or through local business events where PSRC representatives will solicit for donations, a tactic, Ms. Hoskins said, that has had "mixed success" for PSRC.

In addition to the Johnson grant, PSRC has recently received $1,000 from Bristol-Myers Squibb, $1,000 from PNC Bank, and $1,000 from RBC Dain Raucher.