May 31, 2023

Rep. Bolinsky, Governor Lamont Announce $10 Million to Support Upgrades for Senior Centers in Connecticut

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

State Making $9 Million of This Funding Available to Municipalities

(HARTFORD, CT) –Newtown State Representative. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106), Ranking Member of the Legislature’s Aging Committee and his House Co-Chair State Rep. Jane Garibay (D-60), along with Governor Ned Lamont and Aging and Disability Services Commissioner Amy Porter today announced that the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services has been awarded $10 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that will be used to support upgrades. enhancements and programming at senior centers statewide in Connecticut.

The state is designating $9 million of this funding to be distributed to municipalities by way of a competitive grant program. The municipalities can use the funding to invest in their local senior centers through:

Facility improvements, which can cover a variety of capital improvements, including air and HVAC systems, lighting, accessibility features, vehicle acquisition, maintenance, and repurposing; and
Programming, which can include the acquisition of program registration software, web design renovation capability, extended senior center hours, special or focused entertainment or programming, while also encompassing expanded staff hours to support those programs, when applicable.

The remaining funds will be used by the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services to support its statewide senior center activities, including items such as improving online services for senior centers, supporting senior center events, and developing media campaigns that promote engagement at senior centers.

Bolinsky said, “I appreciate Governor Lamont’s dedicating these funds to our state’s senior centers. Like what we experience at Newtown’s Senior Center, the programming, social connections, educational opportunities, and resources at the fingertips of retired, or soon to be, retired neighbors, especially the majority of whom, increasingly, are choosing to ‘Age-in-Place’, in the communities they love and know best. Connecticut is a state with a growing senior population that has so much to offer growing communities. Hopefully, this grant program is one of many to come.”

To obtain funding, municipalities will develop a plan and submit it to the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services’ Unit on Aging. Applications will be accepted through June of 2024. More information for municipal officials is available online at portal.ct.gov/ADS-SeniorCenterARPA.