Contact: Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, Fellow PRSA – Serving Seniors
619-997-2495 or gfalkenthal@gmail.com
MEDIA ADVISORY: Serving Seniors Announces Private Funding for New Support Program
When: Friday, May 29, 10 a.m.
Where: Serving Seniors Gary and Mary West Wellness Center, 1525 Fourth Avenue - MAP
Who: Melinda Forstey, President & CEO, Serving Seniors
San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera
Lara Gates, President, Green Vistas
Client Remarks and Testimonials
Serving Seniors will announce new sources of private funding have been secured for a new shallow rental subsidy program for older adults at risk of losing housing in San Diego County.
Shallow rental subsidy programs, which provide individuals at risk of homelessness with modest montly stipends, which are paid directly to a landlord. Shallow rental subsidy programs are considered among the most cost effective ways to prevent homelessness and save the costs associated with mitigating homelessness after it occurs.
Among the 400 low-income and homeless older adults surveyed for the groundbreaking Serving Seniors Needs Assessment report, more than half (56%) of those interviewed report an additional $300 or less of monthly income would increase their rent security.
Conversely, estimates provided by County of San Diego staff for emergency shelter operating costs, including services, range between $2,500 - $6,000 per individual, per month.
About Serving Seniors
Founded in 1970, Serving Seniors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Diego, California, dedicated to serving low-income adults aged 60 and over. A leader in senior advocacy and programming, Serving Seniors has created an innovative model of comprehensive services including nutrition meals, housing, health and social services and lifelong learning opportunities to hundreds of seniors in need. It is the largest provider of meals to seniors in the county, and one of the only organizations in the nation providing a robust range of services to vulnerable, at-risk older adults.
About Green Vistas
Born from an act of imagination and faith by a pastor and three church members in 1966, Green Vistas is a San Diego-based nonprofit organization under the direction of the Mission Hills United Church of Christ, governed independently guided by the conviction that Housing is Ministry. Green Vistas serves as a vehicle for developing and supporting new affordable housing opportunities for low income seniors. What began as a single building has become a growing movement created with the intention of supporting thecreation and preservation of many future developments, extending the legacy first imagined decades ago. The mission also includes significant charitable contributions and grants to local nonprofit organizations instrumental in providing services for seniors.
