Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

coalition

Dignity Fund Mayoral Forum Highlights Key Issues

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The Dignity Fund Coalition invited Mayor London Breed back for a follow-up conversations about issues raised and promises made at their May Candidates Forum. Yomi Wrong returned for another successful term as Forum moderator.  She helped keep the conversation focused on a range of key questions. These questions, drawn from the 100’s submitted at the Candidates Forum, sought to keep the Mayor focused.  So the conversation zeroed in on  her efforts on expanding affordable housing, address homelessness and preparing increasing long term care services would make life better for the City’s older adults and adults with disabilities. Coalition members and key community leaders filled the Koret Auditorium at the San Francisco Main Library and the event was once again live streamed, with the help of SF GovTV.  You can now view on SF Gov TC.

Hope you enjoy some of the pictures below from the Forum and stay tuned for what’s next.


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Housing, Food Security, and Reducing Isolation Are Priorities in Budget Advocacy

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The Dignity Fund measure – Prop I –  laid a foundation for more dependable funding and planning, but it is just that, the foundation.  Now we must build support for a budget that more equitably addresses the needs and aspiration of old San Franciscans and those with disabilities.  This year’s May 16th Budget Rally was part of the building blocks for the future.  The Rally, co-sponsored by Senior & Disability Action (SDA), the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly (CASE) and the Community Alliance of Disability Advocates (CADA), were joined by representatives of a number of organizations and neighborhood groups to highlight this year’s priorities.

Thanks to Supervisors Norman Yee, Hillary Ronen, Jeff Sheehy, and representative for Sandra Fewer for coming and showing their interest and support!  

See key priorities for the budget process here.  

Remember, the big annual budget hearing at City Hall is June 19, starting at 9:00 a.m. and running until all have spoken. 


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Dignity Day Helps Build Momentum for Prop I

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I for Independence and Interdependence! Vote Yes to invest in seniors and people with disabilities.

September 23 was Dignity Day and the community of supporters and elected leaders gathered to show their support for Proposition I – The Dignity Fund.  Mayor Lee and members of the Board of Supervisors spoke of the importance of supporting seniors and adult with disabilities.  Community leaders shared their stories about how Prop I will make a difference.  And around the city, Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers distributed information about this November 8 ballot measure to meal sites.  Hundreds of seniors, adults with disabilities and their supporters showed their enthusiastic support by pledging to help get the word out with house signs, phone banking and outreach engagements.  You can learn more about how you can help here.  Enjoy the pictures and remember to vote Yes on Prop I!

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Dignity Fund Coalition Rallies Supporters

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The Dignity Fund Coalition rallied its supporters on July 19th, the day that the Dignity Fund legislation was scheduled for its final vote at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  A broad cross-section of senior, disability, veterans, HIV survivors,  those with other chronic conditions and their supporters gathered to hear their Supervisors and Coalition leaders speak to the importance of this legislation to build a foundation to address the needs of a growing number of seniors and adults with disabilities.  The pictures tell the story.  See one you like?  Right click and download.

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SF Tech Council Celebrates with Milestone Event

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On July 20, 2016, the San Francisco Tech Council’s Milestone Event at the SF Public Library celebrated the Council’s progress, accomplishments and plans for the future as it works to bridge the digital divide that that still exists in San Francisco for too many seniors and adults with disabilities.

The SF Tech Council began with a 2014 stakeholder survey. Across all participants, one of the strongest survey findings was that closing San Francisco’s digital divide requires collaborating across many sectors. In 2015, to increase these opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, leaders from the technology and business communities, city agencies, community-based organizations, philanthropy, academia, and healthcare came together to form the SF Tech Council. This multi-stakeholder group that has been meeting regularly at the Netherlands Consulate General ever since to share ideas, network, and support projects that address the digital divide.

In the Council’s first year, it secured funding for catalyst grants to five nonprofit organizations expanding digital initiatives. Active Workgroups have taken on projects and explorations of ways to best use the Council’s collaborative approach to planning and problem-solving. Looking toward the future, leaders of the SF Tech Council shared this inspiring information and more with those who attended. We invite you to see pictures of the event below and view a powerpoint that highlights the history and accomplishments so far.

 

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‘Keep Us Connected’ Campaign Delivers 2000+ Postcards

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DSC_0428Last week, we delivered over 2,000 postcards from people all over the City with our message to City Hall: It’s time to close the digital divide for seniors and adults with disabilities. Staying connected and engaged is key to reducing isolation, promoting brain fitness and lifelong learning, keeping us connected to our health providers and to long term services and supports  that help us age in place.

Call or email your Supervisor TODAY (contact info here) and tell your Supervisor and the Mayor why they need to pass a budget that includes more training and support through the Department of Aging and Adult Services’ SF Connected Program. 

San Francisco Needs to Invest in People, Not Just Computer Systems and Software

Earlier this year, the Mayor developed and the Supervisors approved a budget for $155 million to upgrade computer systems and software to help the City better serve and communicate with the public. But these upgrades won’t help those in the public who don’t have the computer skills or access to find this information. Without more investment in computer training for seniors and adults with disabilities, the digital divide will keep growing.

Expanding SF Connected Increases Computer Access AND Creates Job Opportunities for San Franciscans

SF Connected, the Public Libraries, and other technology centers provide access, but what is missing is a bolder program for training and deploying trainers, tutors, and volunteer coordinators to expand the use of these neighborhood-based resources.  And increased funding for training has another benefit: new, part-time employment opportunities for more tech-savy seniors and people with disabilities who have been left out of sectors where jobs are increasing, like tech and construction.

Your San Francisco Neighbors Are Being Left Behind

Consider this…The City is poised to invest $223,398,000 to upgrade its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) for its hospital and clinics over the next 5 years. Part of the Affordable Care Act requirements are that patients be given the tools and support to help them access their records.  But a recent UCSF survey in SF health clinic waiting rooms found that a staggering 40% of patients don’t use email even though 71% would like to use it to communicate with their health care providers. Even among those who do use email, only 59% are able to do so from home.

Ask the Mayor and Supervisors to Invest More in Closing the Digital Divide

San Francisco is held up as a model for technological innovation and cutting edge programs, yet the most recent citizen’s survey showed a huge gap between the have’s and the have-not’s – as some communities 30% to 40% lack Internet access. Those who lack access tend to have lower income, are typically older, less educated and people of color.

We are hoping increased funding to bridge the digital divide will show the City is taking one more small step  better share the prosperity.    Please call the Mayor and the Supervisors Today!

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Free MUNI Victory – Sign Up Now for March 1 Start Date

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Thanks to a year of advocacy, low and moderate income seniors and people with disabilities will be able to ride MUNI for free!  See a list below of the many groups that helped make this possible.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) voted unanimously on January 20 to approve this program. We applaude Tom Nolan and the members of the SFMTA for their efforts to reach this historic decision.

Free MUNI will begin March 1 and to participate, you must register!
Find out more and apply online at:

http://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/transit/fares-passes/free-muni

or pick up an application in the Senior and Disability Action/Community Living Campaign office at 1360 Mission Street, Suite 400.

Taking the lead in organizing for this was Senior and Disability Action and Chinatown Community Development Center, with support from the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly, California Alliance of Retired Americans, Bayview Hunters Point Senior Services, Housing Rights Committee, Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, POWER/Causa Justa:Just Cause, Family Services Agency/Felton Institute, Canon Kip, Community Living Campaign, the IHSS Consortium and more.

This is a great example of how community organizing can result in real, systemic changes. To learn more about community organizing in the senior and disability community, check out a video on the Senior and Disability Action website  www.sdaction.org.

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Our Thanks”Captain, Bill,” a Leader at the Department of Aging and Adult Services

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At the end of June 2014, Bill Haskell retired from the Department of Aging and Adult Services.  He may be retiring, but has left quite a legacy.  Bill was the staff guru behind the Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC)  and the development of its many and diverse projects and work groups.  Looking back even further, he has been a mainstay in the movement to plan and develop home and community-based services and support in San Francisco.   This includes work to develop the first residential care hospice program for people with AIDS, Coming Home Hospice.

Read more about the Long Term Care Coordinating Council History (thanks in part to Bill’s hard work) in his “last memo”.

Last week, friends and colleagues of Captain Bill  joined together to applaud Bill’s leadership.  We look forward to seeing what he does as an encore.  Happy travels, Captain Bill, our Superhero!

Governor’s Budget Disappoints Around Long-Term Services and Supports

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The California Collaborative for Long Term Services and Supports is a coalition of statewide organizations that reach millions of seniors and persons with disabilities.   In December, the organization raised a number of issues with Governor Brown, putting into focus many of the issues important to preserving and to expanding a network of long term services and supports.  

While the State’s improved economic forecast has provided some good news, it’s not so good when it comes to services and supports for seniors, adults with disabilities and their hands on care providers.

Does the budget… 

Eliminate a 7% cut to In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2014.

NO

Restore a 10% rate cut (made in June, 2011) for adult day health programs, now called Community Based Adult Services (CBAS).

NO

Shore up services that have been reduced by federal sequestration, including senior nutrition programs, housing vouchers, and programs authorized through the Older Americans Act.

NO – Governor comments that seniors and persons with disabilities in California are among the best off.

End reductions in Medi-Cal optional benefits, including eyeglasses, incontinence supplies, psychiatry, and durable medical equipment, and restoring the dental benefit to its 2009 level.

NO

Restore SSI/SSP to the purchasing power it had five years ago.

NO – only a modest cost of living increase included.

Address the housing needs of persons wanting home and community based services instead of institutional care.

NOT ADDRESSED

Adjust the caps on rates for home and community based services within the state’s Medi-Cal waivers, so that these rates reflect the state rates for people with similar needs who are in nursing homes or other institutions.

NOT ADDRESSED

Meet, within Budget Act appropriations, the new requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act as they apply to IHSS providers working overtime.

NO – In fact, the proposed budget does the opposite: it disallows any overtime pay for IHSS consumers, forcing those who have a caregiver working more than 40 hours per week to find someone else for hours above 40.  Also applies to a caregiver who serves more than one client: no more than 40 hours total per week across all clients.

Medi-Cal rate cut:

NO, those already cut will not be repaid.  However, where litigation blocked some cuts, the state won’t go back to try to get money.

PACE:

NO restoration for PACE rate reductions

So the message is clear – these issues will not be addressed unless we mobilize and engage individually and through organizations that have clout in Sacramento.   Get ready!

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Seniors Step Up As Agents for Change

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For the past two years, the SCAN Foundation provided funding to several California senior-serving organizations to explore ways to move participants and volunteers into action.  They also funded the California Association for Retired Americans (CARA), in partnership with the Community Living Campaign, to provide training and on-going technical assistance.  The Agents for Change interviewed in the attached video, produced by New America Media, paint a rich tapestry of the values, experience and commitment at the heart of this initiative.

 

 

Interested in being an Agent for Change, too?   Sign up for the CARA Leadership Academy.  The next session will be held in San Francisco February 27 and 28th. For more information, visit http://www.californiaalliance.org or download a 2013 CLC leadership academy flyer .