The Haines Senior Center is cutting back from five to four days of service per week due to funding issues, said Mary Ann Mills, director of Southeast Senior Services.
Thanks to an $80,000 grant secured through the Chilkoot Indian Association, the center was able to bump up from four to five days of service last fall. Before that, the center’s program hadn’t been offered on a five-day-a-week basis for about 15 years.
Mills said the center is cutting back for a variety of reasons, including a downward trend in the Medicaid waivers the organization receives for reimbursements of meals and transportation it provides.
Increased vehicle maintenance and repair costs are also a factor, Mills said.
Though the Senior Center received $6,000 from the borough this year, it isn’t counting on receiving more during this year’s round of nonprofit funding.
“We don’t want to count on things we don’t have a commitment for yet,” Mills said.
Site manager Cindy Jackson said starting this week, the center will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Ride service also will be reduced. Ride service is available Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. by donation, and between 2 and 4 p.m. for $1 per way. Rides will be available on Fridays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for $1 per way.
Rides to Klukwan will be reduced from Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Mondays and Thursdays, Jackson said.
About 27 people visit the center per day Mondays through Thursdays, and about 17 come in on Fridays, Jackson said. “Fridays tend to be slower than the other days, but there were still people that came for sure,” she said.
Seniors come to the center mostly for the homemade lunch program, but they also come to hang out with friends and socialize, Jackson said. The center also provides exercise equipment.
Seniors can schedule rides to the clinic, grocery store or anywhere else they need to go. Riders should call a day in advance to be scheduled. Call 766-2383.