Hennepin County weighs cuts to senior services and food shelves

Dozens of people packed the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners’ meeting room Thursday afternoon to protest proposed budget cuts to services that help some 1,500 elderly residents with medical care and help low-income households access food shelves.

Under the county’s 2020 budget proposal, an initiative called “Healthy Seniors” — which helps fund neighborhood nonprofits that provide at-home medical aid and other help — could lose all county funding, a move opponents said could have a significant impact on the nonprofits’ clients. In addition, the plan slashes spending for food assistance programs by nearly one-third. All of the ideas are negotiable until the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners finalizes the entire 2020 budget in December.

Hennepin County commissioners discussed the ideas at a hearing Thursday afternoon, where some 50 people filled the meeting room to capacity, while dozens of others protested from an overflow lobby. Some of them wore signs around their necks reading “Save Our Seniors.”

Currently, the county’s Healthy Seniors program provides a total of $110,000 in funding to three Minneapolis nonprofits: Nokomis Healthy Seniors, Longfellow/Seward Healthy Seniors and Southeast Seniors. The centers provide a neighborhood-based system of home care — called block nurse programming — in which nurses provide exams; staff coordinates transportation, errands or chores; and volunteers lead socializing activities. They are funded heavily by government aid, in addition to grant funding, private donations and fees. The services are an alternative to nursing homes or assisted living facilities for some older residents who would rather live independently in their own homes.

Read more: https://www.minnpost.com/metro/2019/10/hennepin-county-weighs-cuts-to-senior-services-and-food-shelves/