Proposed Changes to Senior Services
UPDATE—October 24
UPDATE: October 24, 2024
The City is currently negotiating with Metro Parks Tacoma on partnering and combining services and programs for seniors starting in 2025. Our shared goal is to offer more community members more services and program variety at more locations.
*NEW October 24: CM Rumbaugh and CM Sadalge will visit Lighthouse Activity Center Monday, October 28 at 10:30 AM, along with leadership from Metro Parks Tacoma, and NCS staff to answer questions. Seniors from Beacon Activity Center are being invited to participate and transportation is being offered.
*NEW October 24: Metro Parks Tacoma and City staff will visit seniors at the City’s activity centers on the following dates:
Beacon:
- Monday, November 4 – 10 AM to noon
- Monday, December 9 – 10 AM to noon
- Wednesday, December – from 10 AM to noon
Lighthouse:
- Wednesday, November 6 – 10 AM to noon
- Tuesday, December 3 – 10 AM to noon
- Thursday, December 12 – 10 AM to noon
See our October 17 letter to Beacon and Lighthouse Seniors below for more details—the full text of the letter is available below the Q&A section:
Proposed Changes to Senior Services - Q&A
Q: Is the City of Tacoma ending its senior services completely?
No, quite the opposite. The City of Tacoma is exploring changes to our senior service program and currently in negotiations with Metro Parks Tacoma to offer more community members more services and program variety at more locations.
The City of Tacoma is committed to pursuing smart, strategic partnerships with other agencies and local jurisdictions that benefit all parties with more cost-effective and higher quality services for our Tacoma-area community members. We believe this partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma will bring significant benefits to all of Tacoma’s senior residents who participate in our programs.
Q: The meal program at my activity center is essential to me—I’m on a fixed income and cannot pay to replace these meals on my own. Are you ending the senior meal program?
Many of the City’s senior clients have expressed just how important the senior meals program is and that they rely heavily on these meals for their nutrition and overall health. While the details of a transition of the senior meal program are still under negotiation, the City is aware of how urgent the need is for so many of our senior clients, and this is a top priority issue in our negotiations with Metro Parks.
Q: I don’t drive—how will I get to one of the new Metro Parks locations?
Again, specifics are still being negotiated, but the issue of transportation and access to the new locations is another topic that is a top concern for many of our seniors. The City is working with Metro Parks on a transition plan for the transportation services that are currently available to seniors who visit the Beacon and Lighthouse activity centers. Seniors who do not drive will also have more transportation options available to them with this proposed partnership—Metro Parks offers senior services at four locations versus the current two, and each Metro Parks facility is more easily accessible via public transportation.
Q: I’m not necessarily interested in scheduled activities and workshops—I go to the City’s activity center because it has space for me and my friends to just socialize and do our own thing. Will the Metro Parks facilities still have space like this for me and my friends?
While the specific details are not known yet, we have heard from many of our seniors that this issue is a priority for them, and we are working to ensure that all of our seniors who currently enjoy services at Beacon and Lighthouse activity centers will feel welcome and comfortable at Metro Parks facilities no matter how they choose to spend their time.
Q: I’m happy with the services and with the City’s activity centers the way they are. Why make these changes at all?
We understand that changes like this to services and programs that Tacoma’s community members rely on for their health and well-being can be difficult to navigate and even a bit scary, especially when some details are still unknown and some questions still unanswered. That said, this partnership proposal will produce significant benefits for the community as well as “more bang for your taxpayer buck.” More of Tacoma’s seniors will be eligible to participate (age 50+), there will be more locations with easier public transportation access, and a much wider variety of activities and programs. Partnering with Metro Parks will be a big net-benefit for the entire Tacoma community.
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October 17, 2024
Dear Beacon and Lighthouse Seniors:
I am writing to you to give you more details about upcoming changes to the City of Tacoma’s Senior Services programs. You may have been in attendance when we visited last week or you have likely heard that NCS is currently in active negotiations with Metro Parks Tacoma to partner and combine senior services, programming, and activities. We want to emphasize this: The City of Tacoma is NOT proposing to end senior services and programs altogether, but we are exploring changes with Metro Parks Tacoma that will offer more community members more services and program variety at more locations.
Metro Parks Tacoma currently operates four community centers that provide senior programming for Tacoma-area seniors who are age 50+ – People’s Community Center in Hilltop, STAR Center in South Tacoma, Eastside Community Center, and The Center at Norpoint in Northeast Tacoma. This proposed partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma is expected to achieve several key goals:
- Enhance the activity and program offerings to Tacoma-area seniors with a wider variety of classes, workshops, activities, etc.
- Expand the reach of senior services in Tacoma to more people (age 50+ vs. age 60+)
- Expand access to senior services in Tacoma to more facilities that are more easily accessible using public transportation options.
Plans are being made for Metro Parks Tacoma staff to visit both Beacon and Lighthouse Activity Center in December for a meet-and-greet to ensure a smooth transition.
With Metro Parks managing senior services, we plan to offer many of the same social engagement, mental and physical health supports, educational supports, and recreational opportunities. In addition, you and other seniors will have access to a wide variety of senior activities and programs currently offered by Metro Parks Tacoma, including a robust list of health and fitness activities, day tours and overnight trips, plus seasonal and special events.
This proposed partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma is part of the Neighborhood and Community Services proposed budget currently being deliberated by the City Council. NCS will present a budget briefing at the Council’s Study Session starting at noon on Tuesday, October 22. There will also be public hearings on the proposed budget on Tuesday, October 29 and Tuesday, November 19 starting at 5 PM. You can attend these public sessions in-person at Tacoma Municipal Building (747 Market Street, 1st Floor, Council Chambers) or on TV Tacoma, at tvtacoma.com, or on the City’s Facebook page and on Zoom.
The City of Tacoma is committed to pursuing smart, strategic partnerships with other agencies and local jurisdictions that benefit all parties with more cost-effective and higher quality services for our Tacoma-area community members. We believe this partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma will bring significant benefits to you and to all of Tacoma’s senior residents who participate in our programs. We look forward to bringing you more information in the coming months.
Please contact Vicky McLaurin, at 253-591-5058 or vmclaurin@cityoftacoma.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Allyson Griffith, Director
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Want more? Go to our Senior Centers - City of Tacoma web page to learn more about our current senior programs and activity centers.
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