$9 Million in Federal Funds Will Support Senior Center Upgrades Across CT

Governor Ned Lamont and Aging and Disability Services Commissioner Amy Porter have announced that the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services has been awarded $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that will be used to support upgrades and enhancements at senior centers statewide in Connecticut.

The state is designating $9 million of this funding to be distributed to municipalities. The municipalities can use the funding to support upgrades at their local senior centers through:

•                     Facility improvements, which can cover a variety of capital improvements, including air and HVAC systems, lighting, accessibility features, vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and repurposing; and

•                     Programming, which can include the acquisition of program registration software, web design renovation capability, extended senior center hours, special or focused entertainment or programming, while also encompassing expanded staff hours to support those programs, when applicable.

The remaining funds will be used by the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services to support its statewide senior center activities. This includes items such as improving online services for senior centers, supporting senior center events, and developing media campaigns that promote engagement at senior centers. 

To obtain funding, municipalities must develop a plan and submit it, along with an application, to the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services’ Unit on Aging. Applications will be accepted through June of 2024.

 More information for municipal officials is available online at portal.ct.gov/ADS-SeniorCenterARPA.  In an April letter to municipal officials the Department indicated that “All allocations contain two parts: the base allocation and a formulaic allocation. All municipalities receive a base allocation of $5,000. The remainder of the allocation is calculated using 2020 Census data on town demographics.”

Connecticut has 169 municipal governments, but more than 200 senior centers, according to data on the state website.  The website also provides a link to the anticipated grant amounts to cities and towns across the state.  Those amounts range from Stamford’s $300,738, Bridgeport’s $299,561 and Hartford’s $263,212 to Scotland’s $7,109, Colebrook’s $6,982 and Union’s $6,901. 

The per capita allocation ranges from $8 to $22 per capita, with most communities between $9 and $12.  After Stamford, Bridgeport and Hartford, the largest total allocations – all in excess of $145,000 - would go to Waterbury, New Haven, Norwalk, Danbury, West Hartford, New Britain, Milford, Stratford, Bristol, Greenwich and Meriden.

Additional communities that would receive more than $100,000 according to state data are Hamden, Fairfield, Wallingford, Manchester, Shelton, Southington, Middletown, East Hartford, West Haven, and Enfield.

The department’s correspondence with Connecticut cities and towns also explains that “Municipalities with multiple senior centers that meet the funding definition of ‘senior center’ shall allocate funding to each senior center in the municipality. Municipalities without a senior center within town limits are encouraged to partner with neighboring municipalities who host senior centers that serve their town’s residents.”

Recognized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) as a community focal point, senior centers have become one of the most widely used services among America’s older adults, the Agency on Aging for South Central Connecticut points out.

 The agency’s website also indicates that research shows that older adults who participate in senior center programs can learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease and experience measurable improvements in their physical, social, spiritual, emotional, mental, and economic well-being, adding that today’s senior centers are reinventing themselves to meet the needs and desires of the aging baby boom generation, as boomers now constitute more than two-thirds of the 50+ population.

The impact of Senior Centers has been a topic of conversation and study in Connecticut for many years.

More than a decade ago, a 2011 report by the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel, with assistance from the Connecticut Commission on Aging, pointed out that “our Senior Centers are struggling. We know that some Centers are able to thrive in the rapidly changing landscape of aging services. Some are able to survive. And some are barely staying afloat.”

The report also noted that “As an institution, Senior Centers have a wide reach  into the community and a tremendous ability to meet consumers where they  live with information, access and services. They are in a position to both innovate and to implement innovation.”

In making the funding announcement this week, Governor Lamont said, “Connecticut’s cities and towns do a great job supporting older adults through the operations of their senior centers, which provide incredibly valuable services to many residents statewide. Being able to expand that crucial support through upgraded facilities and modernized services keeps older adults actively involved in their communities and connected to local services.”

 “Our senior centers are valued hubs that foster both independence and community support,” Commissioner Porter added.  “The Department of Aging and Disability Services is pleased to see not only direct funding for senior centers to continue that charge, but also a way to engage and connect these centers at a coordinated state level. Our State Unit on Aging has worked hard with our partners to find ways to engage older adults with information, assistance, socialization, educational programs and so much more.”

 “These critical ARPA funds will support senior center programs and services and ensure that these facilities are safe and accessible for all. Senior centers across Connecticut provide immeasurable value to the lives of our elderly residents” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.  Added his colleague, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy: “Senior centers play a really important role in making sure that older people in Connecticut are engaged in their communities and have access to support systems and resources. Thanks to federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, cities and towns throughout the state will be able to update their facilities and expand their programming so that our growing population of seniors continue to have a welcoming place to spend time and stay connected.”