Advocacy
Key Issues
Low-income senior citizens with limited resources often have no voice when it comes to legislation that will improve their standard of living. Many suffer from malnutrition because they can’t afford nutritious food. Others are disabled and confined to their homes, making shopping difficult. Still others face mounting medical bills that eat up their entire monthly income. And some, because of poverty and other issues including mental illness, are homeless and unable to find a way out of the cycle of despair and hopelessness on their own.
Senior Community Centers concentrates its advocacy efforts in the following three areas:
- Nutrition
- Supportive Housing
- Medical/ Mental Health Services
As catalysts for change, we are confident that our advocacy efforts in these three areas will raise the awareness of critical issues among legislators, service providers and the general public thereby leading to increased funding for programs which ensure that a greater number of seniors receive quality, uniformly-defined supportive services.
What We're Doing
Paul Downey, Senior Community Centers’ President and CEO, has long been active in advocacy efforts in Sacramento and Washington D.C. He is President of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP), the leading organization advocating for community-based senior nutrition programs. NANASP is taking a lead role in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) by Congress which is expected to occur later this year or early 2011. The OAA provides funding for several important initiatives for seniors, including meals and job training. Downey has met three times with Administration on Aging Secretary Kathy Greenlee on the reauthorization and was invited to testify at a special hearing in San Francisco earlier in the year.
NANASP also does significant advocacy on elder justice issues and took a lead role in the inclusion of the “Elder Justice Act” in the recently passed healthcare legislation. It includes provisions for beefing up enforcement against people who physically and financially abuse seniors.
Downey serves as President of the California Nutrition Coalition, a statewide advocacy group representing senior nutrition programs. His primary efforts are protecting funding for meals that comes through the state to programs like Senior Community Centers. He also serves on the Steering Committee for the Elder Economic Security Initiative which is seeking to replace the antiquated Federal Poverty Level with a more meaningful measurement of adequate income for basic needs.
Due to his extensive work and experience at Senior Community Centers, service on state and national boards and his advocacy on behalf of seniors, Downey is recognized by many as a national expert on aging issues.
Resources
Paul Downey testifies before the Administration on Aging at the 3rd Annual Older Americans Act (OAA) Reauthorization Forum
Letter of support for the Elder Index from President and CEO Paul Downey
Senior Community Centers' Advocacy Manual
Elected officials sontact informaiton