Seniors are the fastest growing population in North County and we must do all we can to help those living on fixed incomes. With the cost of basic necessities continuing to rise, we want to make sure our senior population has resources available to them. I’m pleased to say, this week we took a couple of major steps toward helping our senior citizens.
We were able to allocate $30,000 to The Foundation for Senior Wellbeing to support the Senior Information and Resource Center and Senior Crisis Fund for low-income seniors in North County. The Foundation for Senior Wellbeing is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for our seniors. They provide house stabilization, repairs, medical and utility help. This money will be a major asset towards helping our golden agers.
Also, I proposed to allocate $100,000 to the Fallbrook Senior Citizen's Service Club for home-delivered meals, for home-bound seniors in Fallbrook, Bonsall, and Rainbow Valley. Many of our seniors are unable to leave their homes due to medical issues. These funds will go to not only helping seniors who are isolated but also it will provide a warm meal to those who need it.
Finally, we are continuing to make progress when it comes to affordable senior housing. The reality is, without affordable housing, our homeless population will continue to grow, and our society will suffer.
A few months ago I mentioned the Board of Supervisors approved several county-owned properties to be transformed into affordable housing units. The property in North County is located in Escondido at 600-620 E. Valley Parkway, which includes 1.88 acres of vacant land that once housed the North Inland Family Resource Center. I continue to have discussions with the Escondido City Council on the timeline for this property.
Our seniors have done so much for our region, it’s time for us to make sure they’re being taken care of, especially low-income seniors. I’m hopeful these new programs will help and if you ever need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.