Residents speak up at annual Senior Forum public hearing

MILLERTON — The Dutchess County Office for the Aging (OFA) assured local seniors their concerns are being heard and their voices have an impact at its annual Senior Forum public hearings, one of which was held at the Millerton Senior Friendship Center, located in the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex, on Wednesday morning, Sept. 25.

People were there looking to learn more about the county’s current services and future plans. A panel of four OFA representatives — including OFA Director Todd Tancredi and OFA Advisory Board members Pat Brown, Wendy Wajda and Donna O’Brien — sat at the front of the Annex while OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones made additional information available to residents at the back of the room. 

The panel invited residents to ask questions about available programs and services and to raise their concerns.

As a local advocate in her community, Cathy Fenn from Townscape asked about services geared toward keeping senior citizens in their homes and whether OFA advocates for senior housing developments. In response, O’Brien described the county’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which provides senior citizens with financial help in paying for heat and other energy-related expenses. She reported HEAP has two components presently open for applications: Heating Equipment Clean and Tune and Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement. 

Answering Fenn’s question about senior housing, O’Brien talked about the county’s Senior Citizen Owner-Occupied Property Rehabilitation Program and how it aims to upgrade housing “by providing assistance to low and moderate-income senior citizen households to complete rehabilitation on properties with code violations,” according to the Dutchess County Government website. Such upgrades might include focusing on major health and safety concerns. About advocating for senior housing, Tancredi said that while OFA currently sits on the advisory boards for both New York State Sen. Sue Serino (R-41) and Representative Sean Maloney (D-18), the office hasn’t had an opportunity to collaborate at the local level.

Tancredi reminded residents of the value of their feedback.

“Don’t think because you’re a senior citizen you can’t influence or have an influence on local politics,” he said. “You need to make your desires known, come out in groups… and help shape and guide your community.”

On that note, Dutchess County Legislator Gregg Pulver (R-19) shared that the county is encouraging municipalities to look into future projects and set goals. Tancredi added that OFA can always help by providing valuable statistics and figures.

“We need you to get involved,” agreed North East Community Center (NECC) Executive Director Christine Sergeant, citing the Tri-Town Coalition’s efforts in identifying viable housing solutions in northeastern Dutchess County as an example.

One public member expressed her gratitude to Central Hudson for leading her to HEAP and its benefits while another asked for more information about income eligibility for similar programs. Praising NECC for its Dial-A-Ride transportation program, one resident asked if the county has a similar program to benefit senior citizens, and Sergeant shared NECC’s gratitude for the funding it received from OFA for its transportation program.

“We are always looking for better ways to serve seniors in our area,” she said.

In her conversations with Tancredi, Sergeant said they’ve also tried to come up with a solution to help seniors dealing with isolation.

As the forum began to encompass more topics relevant to local seniors, there was some discussion about accommodating community activities in the Millerton Senior Friendship Center, such as local bridge club meetings and the annual toy and clothing drive in December. 

In terms of where the seniors’ food is coming from, Fenn asked whether OFA is working with local farms or with companies to supply food to county seniors. Tancredi replied that OFA is currently working with micro-greens obtained from the Indoor Organic Gardens of Poughkeepsie. Making coupons available for seniors for local farmers markets was discussed. 

Having obtained ample feedback from Millerton, the OFA held its second annual Senior Forum in Poughkeepsie the following day, Thursday, Sept. 26.