Tell the Mayor to Prevent Budget Cuts and Fill the Gaps

Don't Cut Senior Services!

Join us in calling on the Mayor to support older adults across the District by sending a personalized letter.

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Dear Mayor Muriel Bowser,

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As a District resident, I am aware the city faces some tough decisions regarding the FY2025 budget. However, preserving DACL's budget from cuts and improving service delivery is imperative. Doing so, only solidifies the District's commitment to an Age-Friendly city. To help protect seniors, I ask you take the following actions:

• Retain funding for the Home Care Partner’s Homemaker program at FY2024 levels. This includes maintaining $2 million in DACL local funds and $350,000 in federal dollars.

• Maintain service levels for DCCI’s Caregiver Respite and Flex Account Programs, by preventing any cuts to the program budgets in FY2025, and filling the $100,000 shortfall. This will ensure caregivers can receive at least 16 hours of respite per month and the $300 flex account reimbursement to offset the financial burden caregiving.

• Reject any cuts to the in-demand Safe at Home Program. This includes preserving Safe at Home 1.0’s $4.4 million budget that provides up to $7,000 in home modifications, and the $219,000 allotted to Safe at Home 2.0 for evidence-based falls prevention programming.  Where funds are available, the District you should begin increasing the Safe at Home budget to meet increasing demand, increasing costs, and to address the growing backlog of applications.

• Maintain the District’s commitment from the FY2023-2024 Performance Oversight Hearing in FY2025, including $650,000 divided evenly between 13 District Villages, the current $154,000 for other direct expenses, $38,000 for personnel, and $5,000 for administrative costs. The current $46,000 in funding for Capitol Hill Village’s LGBTQ programming should also continue into FY2025. This, along with an equity needs assessment for chapters in underserved and low-income neighborhoods should be initiated.

• VIDA Senior Services is the only DACL funded program serving primarily elder Spanish speaking older adults from over 20 countries. FY2024 cuts have resulted in a 13% decrease to DACL programming and a reduction of staffing (40 hours to 25 hours per week). I urge the District to restore the $60,000 cut from VIDA’s FY2024 budget into FY2025 budget.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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