Senior Center Seeks Funding In the Midst of a Budget Cut

Candace Braun

While facing its second budget cut in five years from one funding source, the Princeton Senior Resource Center is still hoping to keep all the services it currently provides for senior residents.

Due to a running budget deficit, the Princeton Housing Authority recently announced it will be decreasing its funding to the center to $12,000, from its current $20,000.

Rather than cut one of the numerous services the center currently provides for senior residents, PRSC is going to look for alternative funding, said Susan Hoskins, executive director of the center.

"We see the senior residents as the most vulnerable in the community," she said.

Founded in 1974, the center looks to offer affordable opportunities and assistance to the elder members of the Princeton community, along with their families. PRSC has a budget of $104,500 for 2004. The organization receives over 50 percent of its support from individual and corporate donations, and 30 percent from the Borough and Township, which each give the center approximately $52,000. The remainder of the center's funding comes from United Way, Patriot Media, the Housing Authority, and participant activity fees.

"There's a myriad of programs we provide to the senior community," said Ms. Hoskins, such as relevant talks, classes, counseling, and support.

The goal of the center, she added, is to keep older residents from being forced to leave their homes in Princeton when they are no longer able to do all of their every day tasks, such as go to the grocery store. The center offers volunteer-based home assistance programs to assist seniors with such activities.

"I think that Princeton really takes care of its seniors and doesn't want them ... to have to leave their homes," said the director.

The last time the center received a budget cut from the Housing Authority was in 1999, when it was cut from $29,000, to $20,000. At that time the center reduced staff so that all of its programs could continue, said Ms. Hoskins.

The budget was cut again this year due to budget constraints by the Housing Authority, said Leighton Newlin, chair of the board of the Housing Authority.

"We have fiscal responsibilities," said Mr. Newlin. "We looked at all the items we could cut and we had to make some amendments."

Mr. Newlin said that the Housing Authority looks at the center as a way to improve the quality of life for its residents, which he hopes it will continue to do. jun1604ly, the Housing Authority charges some of its senior residents only 30 percent of the total rent so that they may continue to stay in the community, he said.

A Community Asset

The senior center caters to residents living in Reading and Spruce Circles in Princeton. Approximately 60 senior residents in each community take advantage of the services that the center offers, said Ms. Hoskins.

Last spring the Suzanne Patterson Senior Center, where most of the center's activities take place, reopened after a significant renovation to the building, located behind Borough Hall. The $595,000 renovation was funded by the Borough, Township, and a $248,000 grant from Mercer County.

One of the many programs the center offers for seniors is the HomeFriends Program, which matches adult volunteers with older, disabled adults in the community. The volunteers assist the seniors by shopping, reading, or writing for them, along with offering them companionship through a weekly visit.

A similar program is LINK, or the Local Intergenerational Network of Kindness, which matches up high school students with older adults in a relationship of friendship and assistance. This year 50 students volunteered with 40 senior residents. Students volunteered from Princeton High School, Princeton Day School, the Hun School, Stuart Country Day School, the Lewis School, and the Montgomery and West Windsor school districts.

The center also has a transition program which assists seniors who have recently returned home from the hospital, or are leaving their homes to go to a nursing home facility. The focus of the center, however, is to keep residents at their homes for as long as they are able.

"Many seniors are able to stay in their homes for many years with our program that wouldn't be able to otherwise," said Ms. Hoskins.

As the center has expanded it has been able to offer various activities for seniors, including aerobics, art, and dance classes, as well as walking and travelling clubs. The center also holds talks on various topics of interest to the senior community, including prescription plans, care managers, and retirement planning.

The center also opened its Caregiver Resource Center in May, which provides counseling, support groups, and education for caregivers.

Over 370 volunteers helped out at the center over this past year, said Ms. Hoskins. She said she hopes to look to many of those volunteers in the future to keep all the center's services going.

The director said she is looking to hold a focused fundraising event in the near future, in an effort to find alternative funding to support the costs of the center's services. Donations from the community are also appreciated.

"Contributions are certainly welcome," said Ms. Hoskins.