Proposed Changes to

Senior Services

UPDATE—December 3, 2024

UPDATE: December 3, 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.

*News Release – December 4: City Council Approves Funding to Enhance Senior Services in Proposed Partnership With Metro Parks Tacoma

*Revised Dates: Metro Parks Tacoma and City staff will visit seniors at the City’s activity centers on the following dates:

Beacon:

• Monday, December 9 – 10 AM to noon
• Wednesday, December 11 – 10 AM to noon

Lighthouse:

• Thursday, December 12 – 10 AM to noon
• *REVISED: Friday, December 13 – 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 – UPDATED December 3, 2024

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?

*UPDATE: The City is currently working with Metro Parks to make meals available at all four Metro Parks locations that will offer senior services. While negotiations with Metro Parks Tacoma on the details of meal services are not yet final, the meals will be available at no cost to current City senior service clients of the City’s Beacon and Lighthouse Activity Centers no matter which Metro Parks Tacoma location they choose to visit.

Q: I don’t drive—how will I get to one of the new Metro Parks locations?

The City is working on a transition plan for the transportation services that are currently available to Tacoma seniors who currently participate at the Beacon and Lighthouse activity centers. Again, specifics are still not final, 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 current transportation assistance is for seniors within the City limits who are able to get in and out of the vehicle without assistance, and City staff are currently developing a plan to continue a similar level of service to the four new Metro Parks locations.  Seniors who need assistance getting in and out of the vehicle will be connected to Pierce Transit’s paratransit services.

Seniors who do not drive will also have more transportation options available to them with this proposed partnership—Metro Parks Tacoma offers senior services at four locations versus the current two, and each Metro Parks Tacoma 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?

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 Tacoma facilities no matter how they choose to spend their time.

Q: I’ve heard some seniors complain that this change to senior services will force them to break up their friend group and scatter to different locations—is this true?

This is not true. While this proposed partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma will change the locations where senior services are available to Tacoma residents, current senior clients will be free to choose from any of the four Metro Parks locations and coordinate their visits with their friends.

Again, the City is actively negotiating the details of a transition plan with Metro Parks Tacoma. We are collaborating on identifying a variety of flexible spaces at the four Metro Parks Tacoma locations for those who wish to engage in the established active programs and classes for seniors, and for those who prefer a quieter or “unprogrammed” space to simply socialize with their friends, as mentioned above.  

Q: I’m happy with the services and with the City’s activity centers the way they are. Why are you cutting these programs?

This proposal to partner with Metro Parks Tacoma on senior services does not “cut” the programs. In fact, the partnership will allow us to offer enhanced and expanded services to more seniors in more locations. While it is true that the current Beacon and Lighthouse Activity Centers will no longer house our senior services, the proposal is to double the number of locations for Tacoma’s seniors.

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.

• More of Tacoma’s seniors will be eligible to participate (age 50+ vs. age 60+ currently)

• There will be more locations with easier public transportation access (four locations vs. two currently, including the Metro Parks Tacoma location in Northeast Tacoma where there are currently no easily accessible City senior services)

• Together, the City and Metro Parks Tacoma will be able to offer a much wider variety of activities and programs.

Partnering with Metro Parks Tacoma will be a big net-benefit for the entire Tacoma community as we will be able to enhance and expand our senior service offerings.  

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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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