In EP visit, governor doubles down on her pledge to increase senior services funding
EAST PROVIDENCE — Gov. Gina M. Raimondo told seniors at the East Providence Senior Center on Friday that her budget’s commitment to double the amount in senior center support services around Rhode Island was “the right thing to do and you’ve earned it.”
The governor’s proposal increases funding for senior center services from $400,000 in the 2018 budget to $800,000 for the upcoming year. The dollars will be given to cities and towns around the state to support their municipalities’ respective senior centers.
“This is a good-looking group!” Raimondo exclaimed as she toured the various tables filled with local seniors enjoying a warm lunch on Friday afternoon.
“Senior centers are ... amazing places and they keep seniors alive,” the governor later said. “I love coming to senior centers. It’s not just a lunch, it’s not just a meal, it’s a place to go, it’s a safe place, it’s community.
They have exercise classes. It’s a very smart investment and our seniors have earned it and they were there for us and we want to be there for them.”
In the governor’s proposed budget, the following cities will see increases in senior center spending:
•Burrillville: $5,492.83 to $11,087.90
•Central Falls: $3,495.20 to $7,043.54
•Cumberland: $14,784.01 to $30,426.08
•East Providence: $20,178.39 to $40,499.11 •Lincoln: $8,469.84 to $17,853.74 •North Smithfield: $6,583.63 to $11,668.55
•Pawtucket: $21,712.24 to $41,746.24
•Woonsocket: $13,988.59 to $26,962.38
Charles J. Fogarty, director of Rhode Island Division of Elderly Affairs, said what the governor’s budget proposed for the future of the state’s senior centers was “outstanding.” He further said that it was the first time in more than a decade that a governor’s budget has included such a proposal, saying Raimondo “recognizes the critical value and role senior centers play as agents here.”
Calling East Providence’s Senior Center “one of the better centers” in the state, Fogarty additionally said that his division of state government is working to change the notion that senior centers are places for elderly people, but rather could be vital resources for the entire aging population. Fogarty said that many centers are changing from “senior centers” to “enrichment centers” - places where Baby Boomers can socialize, receive needed information, get healthy, and stay healthy.
District 74 (Jamestown, Middletown) State Rep. Deborah Ruggiero applauded the governor’s budget, as it includes her proposal to establish a state grant program to assist municipalities with their senior centers or programs. The proposal would establish a community senior services grant program to provide financial assistance to municipalities and nonprofit organizations that operate senior centers or programs.
“The population of citizens age 65 or older is vastly increasing, and is expected to grow from 152,000 to 247,000 over the course of a decade, to the point where it includes one out of every four Rhode Islanders,” Ruggiero said. “As demographics shift in Rhode Island, we need to make senior policy issues a priority and focus on the programs and services needed for seniors in the years ahead. This is one way the state can ensure that local communities, particularly those with few resources, are well-equipped to serve the needs of the seniors living within them.”
Ruggiero’s bill is cosponsored by District 63 (East Providence) State Rep. Katherine S. Kazarian, among others.