Meals on Wheels Program Expects Deficit in 2023
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The Meals on Wheels program offered through Family Service of the Upper Ohio Valley expects to see a deficit this year following expected reductions in allocations.
The agency serves seniors in Ohio and Marshall counties, with 85% of clients living in Marshall County, explained Paula Calvert, CEO of Family Service of the Upper Ohio Valley.
On Tuesday, Calvert addressed the Ohio County Commission seeking financial assistance, as she foresees a deficit of $90,000 for her agency this year. She said Family Service serves about 100,000 meals annually to seniors in Ohio and Marshall counties, and funding has been reduced because of "funding restructuring throughout the state."
Family Services is a member of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley, and receives reimbursement through the West Virginia Bureau of Social Services under the State Department of Health and Human Resources.
"My request right now is for funding to supplement the variants I'm going to be experiencing," she Calvert continued. "The normal senior population in Ohio County is aging, and each year we get more and more increases in the number of 60 plus-year-olds who are aging.
"This year, it is especially necessary as SNAP benefits are being reduced."
Calvert said clients have expressed to her how much the meals they receive mean to them as the price of food continues to rise. Each meal delivered has an associated cost of about $10, while the reimbursement rate is about $7.50 per meal, according to Calvert.
A public hearing for the Northern Panhandle HOME Consortium took place prior to the start of Tuesday's commission meeting. The agency encompasses Hancock, Brooke, Ohio and Marshall counties, including the cities of Wheeling and Weirton.
Melissa Thompson, community development specialist with the city of Wheeling, announced the consortium has received its annual funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $385,214 - an increase of about $38,000 over 2022 funding, she said.
After administrative costs are deducted, the HOME Consortium will have $288,910 to distribute through its First Time Homebuyer Program. First-time homebuyers are eligible to receive up to $10,000 toward down payment and closing costs, and the money is available to qualified residents with low to moderate income levels who agree to live in the home for at least five years.
Since 1998, the HOME Consortium has used $9.4 million to assist 1,060 homebuyers, according to Thompson.
In other matters, County Administrator Randy Russell informed commissioners that former West Liberty University President W. Franklin Evans has resigned from the Ohio County Development Authority.
Commissioners next moved to appoint West Liberty Mayor Mark Griffith as the town's representative to the board.
The OCDA is set to meet at 6 p.m. today at The Highlands Event Center.
The commissioners, meanwhile, will next convene at 6 p.m. March 21 at the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St., Wheeling.