Sussex senior centers squeezed by Delaware's funding cuts

Senior centers in Sussex County have scrambled to navigate the reductions in their budgets after grants were cut by 20 percent during Delaware's budget troubles this summer.

Center directors have raised membership fees, taking more money out of the pockets of a population that doesn't have much to spare. Some centers have had to reduce the number of services offered, upsetting the members.

"We pay $37 a year. That's a lot of money," said Fran Harrison, a member of the Indian River Senior Center in Millsboro. The center had to raise annual dues from $34 after having its funding reduced by $33,233.

Added Harrison: "And then if you are taking some of these people, who are only getting $600, $700 a month for social security, that's not a lot of money. It's really hitting them hard."

Many senior centers say the reductions took them by surprise. They rely on state grants to get most of their funding. Their directors say the reductions make it harder for them to offer services for seniors, such as providing a place for seniors to be with other seniors, get an inexpensive meal and participate in recreation.

But Delaware officials say it was necessary to save the budget.

Jonathan Starkey, communications director for Gov. John Carney, said Delaware was facing a $400 million budget shortfall, forcing Carney and the Delaware General Assembly to make "a number of difficult choices" that, he said, had real impacts on Delaware residents.

This is why, Starkey said, Carney held 20 town hall events to discuss the budget and the state's budget challenges.

"He signed a balanced budget in July, but the governor believes more work needs to be done," Starkey said. "He will continue to advocate for a long-term financial plan that allows Delaware to invest in education, our economy, the environment and other services that will make Delaware an even better place to live, work and raise a family."

Janet Laws, the executive director for the Indian River Senior Center, said she heard rumors that there were going to be cuts, but she said she did not know they would be made to the senior centers.

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They also didn't expect the reduction to be 20 percent, said Donna Blauvelt, accounting executive for the Indian River Senior Center.

"When that came down, everybody was devastated," Laws said. "And this kind of thing here is part of their well-being."

And the issue with funding expands beyond Millsboro.

The Cape Henlopen Senior Center lost $42,223 of its funding. The Lewes Senior Center lost $23,481 of its funding.

"We are trying every day to think of new ways and means to make up this loss," said Bobbie Hemmerich, administrative assistant at Cape Henlopen Senior Center in Rehoboth Beach. "We are very fortunate; so far we have not had to cut anything. We have been working really, really hard at it. (It) takes a lot of innovation to make up $42,000."

Both centers had to raise their dues, as well. Cape Henlopen raised its dues $5 to $30 while Lewes Senior Center raised its dues by $4 to $24.

The $5 increase doesn't sound like a lot, said Richard Blazovsky, president of the Cape Henlopen Senior Center Board of Directors, but for some people, $30 is difficult to manage.

"We are actively searching for other venues to raise funds, cut expenses, without depriving our members of the standards they expect," he said. "In other words, we don't want them to suffer because we only found out about it at the end of the last budget session on the state level."

The Indian River Senior Center had to get rid of services such as free lunches and reduce the number of activities offered, such as reducing the number of trips to the casino in Harrington.

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Some of her fellow members are priced out, said Maggie Smith, a member of the Indian River Senior Center.

"The participation has been down because we have had to increase the cost," she said. "I think that it's really affecting people. You hate to see that happen, but some people can't afford to come out for lunch. They have to have their peanut butter sandwich at home."

At the Lewes Senior Center, the story is similar.

Dennis Nealen, executive director of the Lewes Senior Center, said the cuts have made them more cost conscious.

They are very fortunate to have a volunteer base that helps with the organization, he said, and have not had to cut any services.

"We are very disappointed that this happened because we do rely on that money, but we are fortunate enough that we haven't had to cut anything yet," he said. "But if it happens again next year, we can't raise our dues again."

Other senior centers, too, have had to make cost-saving decisions.

The Cape Henlopen Senior Center is working "very hard" to be efficient with its money to ensure the center stays open and there is no reduction of services, said Karen Kempton, a member of the Cape Henlopen Senior Center Board of Directors.

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"I know some centers had to cut down, close on one day, so we are trying to maintain keeping open and keeping all of our services we have," she said. "That's our goal. No reduction in services and no reduction in days that we close."

If they do have to make cuts, Nealen said the first thing to go would be transportation because of the expenses associated with it.

The Lewes Senior Center transports seniors to shopping, grocery stores, pharmacies and doctor appointments, he said, and many seniors rely on it.

But it won't be feasible to maintain if there are more cuts.

"We have two vehicles, and gas, and that's not cheap," he said. "So that's probably the first cut we end up making."

The Cape Henlopen Senior Center will apply for as many grants as it can get, and that is how it got equipment for the center.

Yet it still struggled to cover the cuts.

"It's huge for us," said Hemmerich. "I mean, $42,000 is a great deal of money for us."

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