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Senior Nutrition Program Application for American Rescue Plan Act Title III C Nutrition Funding
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stephanie Starr, Human Services Agency Community Support and Outreach, Division Director, 704-296-4302
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Approve the Senior Nutrition Program’s request to apply for American Rescue Plan Act Title III C Nutrition funding. 2) Upon award of the grant, authorize the County Manager to negotiate and execute agreements substantially consistent with this agenda item. 3) Upon receipt of the grant award, recognize, receive, and appropriate the funding to the Community Support and Outreach budget.
BACKGROUND:
On March 11, 2021 the American Rescue Plan was signed into law and provided $750 million specifically for Senior Nutrition services across the country. Our local region received $2,815,562; the final amount that will be allocated to each County is not known but we anticipate receiving ~$270,000. The performance period for these funds is October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2024. Funds must be used to meet one or more of the following priority areas: 1) Innovation; 2) Increasing service access to hard to reach, underserved, or high-risk populations; 3) Increasing capacity of the organization to conduct services to intended populations.
The Human Service Agency Division of Community Support and Outreach seeks to apply for American Rescue Plan Act Title III C Nutrition funding to support our Senior Nutrition Program (UCSN).
UCSN was established in 1972 and is available for County citizens over age 60. The goal of the program is to provide nutritious meals, social interaction and referrals to other safety-net services to seniors in Union County. Meals are provided in a variety of formats to best serve each individual senior. For those who are mobile, we have four congregate dining sites where clients enjoy a hot lunch Monday through Friday. They are able to socialize with each other and have a planned activity or educational session each day. Seniors who are homebound and live near a meal site receive a meal delivered to their home by a volunteer Monday through Friday. Seniors who are homebound and live in rural parts of the County receive frozen meals.
Prior to COVID, due to a lack of funding and increasing senior population, UCSN had a wait list of approximately 170 seniors, over 65% of whom identified as food insecure. Federal and grant COVD-response funds have allowed us to serve all seniors in need over the past two years, effectively eliminating the waiting list until this past month. During FY22, the program has been serving an average of ~10,000 meals per month, representing a 69% increase from ~5,900 per month in FY20. We were also able to utilize COVID relief funds to hire a Social Worker to complete required assessments for clients, make regular well-check calls and she has now also taken on the additional duty of managing the ~250 volunteers that deliver our hot meal routes. Unfortunately, the funds that have enabled this increased level of service delivery will be depleted by May 2022.
If awarded, this ARP funding will help sustain the advances that we have made over the past two years, maintain our ability to serve those currently active in the program, and implement innovative ideas to improve efficiency, effectiveness and reach of the program in the coming years.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Additional funding of approximately $270,000 will be requested. There is no local match requirement.