Following recent resignations among the leadership at the Union County Senior Center, Legacy Link is currently advertising job postings for two positions there: a new director and a new program coordinator.
Legacy Link is the regional nonprofit that runs the Senior Center, and Legacy Link Office Manager Ashley Pitts said last week she was not aware of the reasons behind the resignations, “as such information was not disclosed to Legacy Link by the employees involved.”
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“All open positions are currently posted on our website, and we are actively accepting applications for those roles,” Pitts said. “I can assure you that Legacy Link staff will continue to be actively present at the Senior Center, and there should be no changes to the day-to-day operations at the center.”
As previously reported, the Senior Center has been struggling to maintain the same level of assistance it has been providing to local seniors, and Pitts is hoping to clear up “some confusion regarding the term ‘stimulus funding,’” which was used to expand services but recently ran out.
“Pre-Covid, this funding did not exist,” she said. “The stimulus funding was implemented during COVID through federal and state contributions to provide a more direct approach to assist seniors who may be homebound or unable to go out into the community.
“The Senior Center was able to utilize these funds to add additional clients to their meal program. We hoped to sustain this extended service after the stimulus funding was exhausted, as these funds were not permanent.
“Historically, we have relied on community fundraising contributions to continue serving a larger client base after stimulus funding ends. However, as I mentioned in my previous (response), those contributions have been significantly lower than normal.
“To manage the reduction in meals, we implemented a strategic approach using a scoring system established by the Department of Aging Services. Based on the scores, we only reduced services for those who were not considered ‘most in need’ – meaning they had the income and ability to obtain food and were not food insecure.
“Those who scored as the most in need continue to receive services as they normally have.”
Pitts reiterated that the close working relationship Legacy Link and the Senior Center have enjoyed with Union County Government continues to this day.
“They are not scaling back their contributions and have actually reached out to our office to schedule a meeting to discuss how they may assist in maintaining meal services,” Pitts said of the Union County Commissioner’s Office under Sole Commissioner Harold Collins. “These meetings are currently scheduled, but I do not have any further information at this time.
“Legacy Link is confident that we will be able to work with the local government and the Senior Center to continue serving the seniors of Union County.”
In his March 20 county meeting, responding to an attendee question about the reduction in meal services at the Senior Center, Commissioner Collins confirmed that his office would be meeting with Legacy Link soon to see about increasing the county’s contributions there.
“We are going to help our Senior Center,” Collins said, noting that budgetary spending cuts enacted by his administration to date should make it easier to offer additional financial assistance.
For more information on the Union County Senior Center, visit https://www.unioncountyga.gov/residents/helpful-links/senior-center/.
To see the job postings and descriptions of the open positions, click on the “Careers” tab at the top of https://legacylink.org/.
