Make Your Voice Heard for Seniors Across the District!

It has been said that a budget is a set of priorities put in numbers. Show me your budget, and I’ll see what you value. For over 65 years, AARP has advocated in a non-partisan way for Americans 50 and older to have what they need to live their best life at any age, choosing where they want to live, and never being discriminated against because of their age, gender or financial status.

Currently, the Mayor is in the process of developing the District’s budget for fiscal year 2025. In a recent letter, AARP DC called on the Mayor and the Department on Aging and Community Living (DACL) to fulfill its promise of an Age-Friendly DC by preventing budget cuts and filling service gaps for essential senior support services.

Now is the time for you to make your voice heard! AARP DC is fighting to protect seniors and the services they need. Join us in sending a letter by visiting the following website: https://action.aarp.org/secure/tell-mayor-prevent-budget-cuts-and-fill-gaps

For FY2025, AARP DC is asking the Mayor to 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, $350,000 in federal dollars, and continuing the recent one-time increase of $100,000 to the program’s budget.
• 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 $600 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). Urge the District to restore the $60,000 cut from VIDA’s FY2024 budget into FY2025 budget.

By adding your voice, residents across the District can show they are united in fighting for protecting seniors and the services they need.