Mayor Daley Opens First Of Ten New Senior Centers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 12, 2002
Contact: Mayor's Press Office
312-744-3334

West Town/Logan Square Senior Center is State-of-the-Art facility for Seniors

In a newly renovated first floor of the Goldblatt's building located at 1613 West Chicago, Mayor Richard M. Daley today opened a new $2 million senior satellite center serving the West Town and Logan Square neighborhoods. The center is the first of 10 senior centers to be built by the Public Building Commission of Chicago (PBC) under a $20 million program through "Neighborhoods Alive with Seniors!"

"Now our city's most valuable asset, our seniors, have a place right in their neighborhood where they may gather with friends, learn computer and other skills, exercise and socialize," said Mayor Daley.

The center will be operated by the City's Department on Aging and community agency Casa Central. It includes a large lunchroom, fitness room, multipurpose meeting and recreation rooms, and a library.

Four other state-of-the-art centers in Roseland, Englewood, Austin, Portage Park are currently under construction and are scheduled to be completed by early 2003. Two of the centers will be built as additions to two existing Chicago Park District facilities saving the city more than a half million dollars.

The mayor also commented that the center offers additional benefits because three other City agencies are located within the building including the Department of Human Services, Mayor's Office of Workforce Development and Consumer Services.

The Mayor also touted the City's senior accomplishments which include:

• A 2001 Harvard University Innovations in American Government Award for the City's Chicago Fitness Plus program. The fitness program is offered at more than 50 community locations, and has 9,000 senior participants.
  
• Resident Service Coordination program which is now available in 42 CHA senior housing developments providing information and assistance to direct seniors to City services.
  
• Chicago Meals on Wheels program which now serves 5,000 elderly people each day and 2.5 million meals each year.
  
• The Golden Diner Nutrition program which provides daily hot meals for low-income senior citizens at 74 community locations.
  
• The Senior Shuttle Program which provides weekly transportation for approximately 1,700 senior citizens each week. The program has been expanded from providing rides for grocery shopping and now include medical visits.
  
• Senior Safety - Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Police Department and CAPS - Beat officers frequently drop in on seniors at CHA properties during their tour of duty. The increased presence of officers on a regular basis has heightened security for approximately 9,000 residents of senior housing, in 58 Chicago Housing Authority senior buildings.
  
• The Caregiver's Institute which provides resources and training seminars to families who care for elderly loved ones. The program educates caregivers about public and private resources that are available to help optimize the care of the elderly.
  
• Benefits Eligibility Program which is a free screening program that connects seniors to benefits that help increase quality of life. The program has enabled seniors to increase their monthly income and get connected and qualify for state, city and federal services. Since 1993, more than 120,000 seniors have been connected to benefits through this program.
  
• The Prescription Drug Booklet and a Senior Service Resource Guide - The prescription drug booklet helps seniors manage their prescriptions and provides information on prescription resources. The senior resource guide was produced to help connect senior citizens to City of Chicago programs and departments. The guide provides a compact listing of services and phone numbers.