SSC must champion increased funding for services, seeking revenue streams and solutions that will ensure the range and capacity of supportive services necessary to address the current and future needs of Alameda County’s aging population.

– SSC’s Policy Agenda

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Recent Developments

December 11, 2025 – Alameda County Steps Up to Fund Aging Services. A lot happened in the second half of 2025. Thanks to the steadfast commitment of our coalition members and the community, we have a lot to show for our efforts to increase service capacity and access to community-based supports that older adults need to maintain health and stability.

• In July, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors made good on their June promise to approve $2 million in Measure W funding to backfill cuts to aging services across the county, averting a crisis that would have reduced or eliminated services for thousands of low-income older adults who rely on them. The Board also created an Older Adults & Senior Services Priority Area within the Measure W Essential Services framework. 

• In the beginning of October, the Board approved $3 million for Spectrum Community Services’ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to continue helping low-income households facing utility shut offs.  The Board also approved $1 million to restart meals programs that serve vulnerable monolingual elders and other at-risk communities.  Both appropriations are part of an “Immediate Known Needs” appropriation package that allocates over $64 million from the Measure W Essential Services fund. 

• In the end of October, the Board allocated $1.7 million in Essential Services funding to increase the capacity of senior food and meals organizations throughout the county to address wait lists and funding gaps to provide meals on wheels, congregate dining and healthy Brown Bag groceries designed to meet the nutritional needs of economically insecure older adults.

Many thanks to all the stakeholders who joined us in advocacy!  Read our September 28 letter to the Board of Supervisors for more context on the issues we are fighting for.

Next steps?  With Immediate Needs allocated, the County now turns to developing a 5-year plan for the Essential Services fund that will guide funding decisions from July 2026 through June 2031.  We will have to work hard to ensure that funding for service capacity to address the needs of an aging adult population is included in the plan.  Be on the lookout for our calls to action, and be ready to support aging services.

July 16, 2025 – County Leaders Restore Cuts to Aging Services. In June, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to restore $2 million in funding allocations for CBOs contracted through the Area Agency on Aging. The decision, part of the FY 2025/26 County Budget, averted funding cuts that would have reduced access to community-based services for thousands of older adults in our county. Our thanks to the many CBOs who leaned in to meet with leadership and make public comment at the June 23 hearing.

Read SSC’s letter to the Board of Supervisors spelling out the scope and impact of the cuts, and requesting backfill funding. Check out our slide deck describing the need and supporting data. Read the June 26 Budget Letter, which includes the directive to the County Administrator to prepare a recommendation for the Board to pass in July to allocate $2 million in Measure W funding to backfill the cuts to AAA-contracted services.

July 11, 2024 – On June 27^th the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to restore $2.1 million in funding allocations for CBOs contracted through the Area Agency on Aging.  The decision, part of the FY 2024/25 County Budget, averted a crisis that would have harmed thousands of older adults in our county and damaged the network of community-based services that older adults rely on.  Our thanks to the many CBOs who leaned in to meet with leadership and make public comment.

Read SSC’s letter to the Board of Supervisors spelling out the crisis and requesting emergency stabilization funding, and read the June 27 Agenda which includes the budget amendment.

August 23, 2021 – Eighteen months into the pandemic, the impacts on older people in our county have been more extensive than the disease itself, most especially so for those with complex medical or cognitive conditions, those who are low income, and those already suffering from the compounding effects of a lifetime of racist discrimination. Isolation and economic hardship are taking their toll, and a growing number of elders are destabilized.

On August 17, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors held a listening session to hear community input regarding the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act dollars. At the virtual event, Senior Services Coalition presented our recommendation to establish an Older Adult Priority Area within the County’s ARPA Spending Plan. This $33.15 million investment will leverage the best practices we know work, intentionally focus on equity, and build sustainable capacity to meet the need of seniors throughout the county. Click here to see our presentation.

October 1, 2020 – Senior Services Coalition has released a report on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on older adults and the network of community-based programs that are stepping up to serve them. Our findings are a call to action for policy makers.

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted and destabilized the lives of older adults throughout Alameda County, increasing the need for supportive services. CBOs stepped up, tapping every available resource to increase capacity and adapt delivery models to serve communities in crisis.

But emergency funding is running out, and new funding to maintain increased capacity going forward is problematic. Alameda County’s decision to issue an RFQ for $3.1 million in federal CARES Act funding for Older Americans Act programs – rather than distribute the funding to current providers – has created delays and uncertainty. Especially troubling, the RFQ does not include case management, a service in short supply and is critically needed to help elders in crisis.

Worse, many supportive services providers received a surprise 15% cut to their baseline funding from the California Department of Aging. The cut has impacted 18 organizations providing case management, visiting, health promotion, adult day care, Information & Assistance, and legal services in Alameda County. These programs – available to people who are “not poor enough” to qualify for Medi-Cal – are needed more than ever.

California’s budget will be under increasing pressure as pandemic-induced job losses and business closures drag down tax revenues. Without protections, aging services will face devastating cuts in 2021, about the time when CARES Act dollars will run out.

These funding problems mean that many are at risk of losing lifeline services. With continuing health risks and economic hardship ahead of us, a proactive plan is needed soon. To make that happen, state and local policy makers must do whatever it takes to fund services, including identifying new sources of revenue.

Click here for Senior Services Coalition’s Impact Report.