To ensure members of the community have access to this care, local governments and organizations work together to provide meals, transportation and advocacy for federal funding within the northeast San Antonio area.
Through the Alamo Area Agency on Aging, a three-year area plan was created to help funnel federal dollars into various programs, offering residents age 60 and older lifestyle resources.
The Alamo Area Council of Governments works with local nonprofit organizations and municipalities to address the needs of those age 60 and older.
The big picture
Cities and organizations use partnerships and programs to target services to seniors and provide for those in need of assistance. The AACOG plan states that older adults in rural areas have unique needs due to lower incomes, limited education, health care professional shortages and inadequate transportation options.
The primary programs in the northeast San Antonio area are the Cibolo Senior Program, Schertz Senior Center and Comal County Senior Citizen Foundation.
CCSCF Executive Director Chris Smith said some of the main challenges for seniors in Comal and surrounding counties include nutrition, transportation and recreation.
Initiatives such as Alamo Regional Transit, Meals on Wheels and activities hosted by each senior program help provide support to these challenges.
Dick Hetzel, who serves as a Guadalupe County representative, said the biggest challenge to services is total funding.
“Funding is our biggest challenge,” Hetzel said. “We do get some help from H-E-B and some other places, but these things are not cheap.”
Put in perspective
Between the 2017 and 2022 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data years, the combined population of people age 60 and older within the six cities increased by around 12.29%.
As the total population grows, the need for more senior services will grow alongside it, leading to cities and organizations investing more resources into these programs, according to the AAAA plan.
The largest senior population growth is in the cities of Schertz and Cibolo, which both have established senior programs and a selection of senior living options.
How it works
AAAA Manager Mike Juarez said the program serves as an arm of the state and federal governments.
The area plan is created to represent the scope of what the AACOG can do for seniors throughout the community.
By highlighting broad topics such as transportation, nutrition, recreation and housing, the AACOG can account for possible funding areas over the next three years. If a need arises that does not fall within the scope of the plan, an amendment needs to be made before that funding can be requested.
Representatives within each county can bring needs to a plan committee, and if those needs are supported by the committee, the AACOG can utilize the plan to request additional funding from the Department of Health and Human Services.
“The area plan has everything that we are postured to do, or can potentially do,” Juarez said. “But it has to be in high demand.”
Through the AACOG, federal and state funding is trickled into other organizations, such as the CCSCF. The primary program supported through this funding is nutrition.
Breaking it down
Providing meals is the most utilized service by seniors within the community, with a total of 8,221 meals served in Comal County and 3,639 meals served in Guadalupe County each month, Smith said.
“Many [seniors] said without that meal, they would not be able to live independently,” he said.
Meals are purchased through a partnership with Meals on Wheels and then distributed either to a congregate location or to an individual’s home if they are homebound.
The Schertz and Cibolo senior programs receive meals through this partnership, with the Schertz Senior Center having 15,904 lunch scan-ins between October 2023 and September 2024.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the AACOG has received additional funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds were required to be used by the end of 2024, meaning programs supported through ARPA will have funding reduced to prepandemic rates, Juarez said.
Due to this shift, AACOG funding to the Comal County center was down 43% compared to 2023.
What’s being done
Alongside support from the AACOG, the cities of Schertz and Cibolo allocate funds each year to support the respective senior programs.
Since the creation of the Cibolo Senior Program in 2021, $50,000 has been invested in the program each year.
In the fiscal year 2024-25 budget, the city of Schertz will spend an estimated $255,000 in support of the senior program.
While the city of Universal City does not have a dedicated senior program, City Manager Kim Turner said the public works budget for FY 2024-25 includes a new position for a part-time senior activity coordinator, who would help offer senior activities in the community.
In the spring, the Cibolo program will be relocating services from The Grange to the newly acquired Noble Event Center, increasing the activity capacity, Senior Center Administrator Stephanie Whitson said.
Something to know
From local assistance to federal programs, seniors within the community have access to resources and assistance to fit a variety of needs.
For those who want to get involved with supporting seniors, each of the senior programs and organizations have donation and volunteer opportunities that help these services operate.
Smith said there is always a need for community support, and the effort to provide for seniors benefits from community involvement.
“Many of those people are the shoulders that this community was built on,” Smith said.
List of resources
- Cibolo Senior Center: 210-968-5986
- Schertz Senior Center: 210-619-1970
- Comal County Senior Citizen Foundation: 830-629-4547
- Alamo Service Connection: 866-231-4922
- Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program: 210-362-5209
