Pennsylvania invests $3 million in senior centers
The Pennsylvania Department of Aging has announced a $3 million investment to enhance Senior Community Centers (SCCs) across the state, aimed at supporting the health, engagement, and independence of older adults.
“Senior Community Centers are a valuable resource to older adults in every corner of the Commonwealth. Whether it’s a meal, health and wellness activities, or socializing, these centers help our seniors thrive and continue to live independently as they age,” said Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich. “These investments are crucial to the SCCs to ensure they are welcoming, inclusive assets to the local area and the people it serves.”
The funding, which includes $2 million in competitive grants for large-scale projects and another $1 million in non-competitive funding, will be distributed to senior centers statewide for upgrades and renovations. Washington, Greene and Fayette county centers were among recipients.
This year, a total of 436 SCCs received competitive or non-competitive grants.
There are more than 450 Area Agency on Aging-affiliated Senior Community Centers throughout Pennsylvania that provide a variety of offerings, such as nutritious meals, educational opportunities, transportation services, financial and insurance counseling, and exercise programs.
Among the competitive grant awardees were the Waynesburg Community Center in Greene County, which received $49,647 for facility upgrades, and Uniontown Adult Recreation Center in Fayette County, which was awarded $24,670.
The competitive grants help SCCs fund larger-scale projects such as updating and modernizing facilities, providing new health and entertainment programs, upgrading technology, and enhancing nutrition services.
Additionally, 30 other centers in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties were each awarded $2,525 in non-competitive grants.
“The Senior Community Center grants will allow the Waynesburg, Uniontown, and Brownsville senior centers to create safer and more accessible spaces and further improve the quality of programs and services,” said Mary Harris, executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging. “These enhancements will support a more welcoming environment and ensure the centers can better serve the needs of their communities and improve the health and well-being of local older adults.”
Dan Visnauskas, executive director of the Masontown Senior Center, which received a non-completitive grant, said the funding “was a blessing for us.”
“Funding is so important to us because even with the funding we get from the state, we have to do about $40,000 in fundraising every year in order for us to pay our bills and do our fundraisers,” said Visnauskas.
Visnauskas said the senior center was able to pair the funding with a local share account grant to replace a commercial oven and a dishwasher. The appliances are important because the center prepares about 200 meals a day, both for seniors who drop by the center and for home-bound seniors.
“We’re constantly having to do fundraisers, so the grant is a significant help,” he said.
The funding is part of the state’s ongoing effort to improve resources for older Pennsylvanians through the “Aging Our Way, PA” 10-year plan.
The department also announced it has partnered with the National Center to Reframe Aging (NCRA), which aims to reshape public perceptions of senior centers. The agencies will help promote senior centers as active community hubs connecting older adults with essential services and social engagement.
The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Lottery and the state’s 2024-25 budget.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2025-26 budget seeks to expand the aging plan’s reach with another $3 million for year two implementation. The budget proposal also includes $2 million so the department can increase oversight of the Area Agency on Aging network – which, among other things, provides resources and protective services for older adults – and a $20 million investment for those AAAs so they can continue to provide key services to older adults.