ONTARIO — The ambiance at the Area Agency on Aging office is chipper than usual today.
Duana Patton, CEO of Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, said the agency is very excited, pleased and thankful for the voters’ support of the senior services levy, which passed with flying colors yesterday in the General Election.
The 1-mill renewal levy and .5-mill increase received 13,959 yes-votes and 9,953 no-votes.
“The important part of this levy is that the population of those 60 and older is growing exponentially, and so with the passage of this, plus the additional .5-mill, it allows us to keep up with the growing population and the needs of those individuals,” Patton said.
The levy, which costs a $100,000 homeowner $51.59 a year, helps provide services to seniors who are not eligible for traditional programs like PASSPORT, but still need that extra help to continue living independently.
The money stays in Richland County. Ninety-four percent of levy funds go directly to services for seniors in Richland County. Only six percent goes to administration of the program. Hawkins Corner facility is not supported by levy revenues or any other service dollars.
Here’s what the levy funds have made possible over the past five years.
- 107,391 hours of homemaker services
- 105,596 hours of personal care
- 502 repairs through the Minor Home Repair Program
- 316,720 home-delivered meals
- 193 days of adult day services
- $606,699 federal funds leveraged
- 277 annual emergency response systems
- 45,030 medical trips through transportation services
The Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. is an Ontario-based non-profit organization that has spent more than 43 years keeping older and disabled adults in Richland County safe, healthy, and independent. It administers programs such as PASSPORT, Home Choice Program, Caregiver Assistance Program, Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, Assisted Living Waiver Program, Home Repair Program and the Ohio Home Care Waiver.
