ALBANY, GA (WALB) -
Programs for Southwest Georgia senior citizens face big budget cuts. The SOWEGA Council on Aging has been notified their state funding will be cut by $351,000. Because of Sequester the federal money the agency gets could be cut another 5%.
Despite the poverty in this part of the state, The SOWEGA Council on Aging received the biggest cut of the 12 areas in Georgia in the Agency on Aging.
Now leaders are having to talk about rationing services and cutting meals except for the most in need.
Geneva Bond says she thinks many of her friends at the Pine Avenue Senior Citizen Center are being unfairly targeted by budget cuts. "I believe so. They just seem like they don't care about seniors anymore," she said.
85-year-old Colleen Chappell drives from Mitchell County to the senior center every day to volunteer, because she believes the food and programs for seniors are badly needed. "I think they just don't care about us anymore. I don't know why they target us all the time," she said.
The SOWEGA Council on Aging budget was cut one million dollars in the last fiscal year, to five and a half million dollars to serve the 14 county area. Now because of 2010 Census statistics, SOWEGA faces the biggest cut of the state's 12 area agencies, more than 13%.
Now word to be prepared in July for sequestration federal cuts that could be another 5%. SOWEGA Council On Aging Executive Director Kay Hind said, "All these years that I've been here we have never had anything like this before."
Hind hopes to avoid cutting jobs. The SOWEGA Council on Aging has 140 employees in their 14 counties, and Hind says they will not be hiring anyone to replace people who leave. If the budget cuts go through, she worries it could mean cutting more than 200 meals a day.
"I hate to say it, possibly ration things. Like somebody coming three days a week to eat, and the other ones come in two. Whatever we have to do to serve as many people as you can, and not cut anybody off that needs it."
Bond said "A lot of people come here, because it's the only hot meal they get during the day."
Hind says they are working on across the board budget cuts, hitting every program from meals on wheels to homemakers.
Chappell worries about the seniors at her center, who depend on it. "I thought it was just very unfair for the seniors, because they live on a fixed income. With everything else going higher and them still cutting, it's just bad."
Bad for senior citizens, being told to get by with less again.
Kay Hind said the cuts will not affect their new senior center that's currently under construction. Once it opens, the agency will reduce expenses by centralizing programs and earn income by renting out facilities.
Hind said she's glad that state legislators returned money for senior caregiver and protective services that was cut earlier. Now she hopes more money can be found to lessen the impact of proposed cuts.
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