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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS-X 1978-12-06 Community Services Committee t V M E M O R A N D U M TO: Councillor Maurice Prout, Chairman and Members of the Community Services Committee FROM: T. A. Fanning, R. D. M. R. Director Department of Community Services DATE: December 6th, 1978 SUBJECT: History of Senior Citizens Ad Hoc Steering Committee The Director served on the Ad Hoc Committee which was formed by the Community Services Committee to investigate the needs of the Senior Citizens within the Town of Newcastle. The Committee consisted of Rev. Tom Gracie, William Bagnell, L. Venning, P. Feddema, F. Beaucage, T. A. Fanning. A number of executive meetings were held before we had a general meeting open to all the Senior Citizens in the area. We closed off the Ad Hoc Committee with a meeting in March of 1977, by preparing a report on our findings of',.the general meeting. Please find attached reports from the Ad Hoc Committee. -pril 24th 1978 To -- Community Services Committee. From; - Senior Citizens Ad Hoc Steering Committee. FINAL REPORT: Background ; This committee was asked to meet as a .result of a resolution passed at a meeting of the Community Services Committee can November 21st, '•77; and given its terms of reference by resolutions passed at a succesive meeting of the Community Services Committee on December 19th,1977. The Steering Committee, formed as a result of these resolutions, met several times over the following three months and held one general meeting for the community to which all senior citizens and represent - atives off senior citizens groups were asked to attend. An "intern report" was filed with the Community Services Committee in February shareing- our findings up until that date. Copies of that report are available. The committee has attempted to stay within the "three month" period mentioned within their guidelines but the problems involved in arrangeing times and dates for meetings are well known to the members of the Community Services Committee and we are sure you will under- stand our brief delay in filing our final report. It has been a priveledge and a pleasure for the members of the steering committee to meet together and offer our services to our community. We ask that this report be received , not as a solution to the problems and needs of the Senior Citizens in our community, but as a series of observations mmd.e by a small group of concerned people and submitted to the members of the Community Services Committee to assist them in their work with Senior Citizens and others in this Community. OBSERVATIONS: (1) The members of the steering committee find that there are a great number of existing programs which benifit a large number of Senior Citizens in our community at the present time. It is quickly seen that a co-relation of these programs and activities could be very useful and that greater exposure of the place, time, and availabil- ity of existing programs would be an improotement of great benifit. A useful method oO communitcation such as a newsletter or the employment of an ' information--person' could perform a worthwhile service to the seniors of our Community. We ask the Community Service Committee to consider this recommendation. ( 2) It is the feeling of this committee that the need for seperate facilities has not been ad.egately demonstrated at this time, With one specific exception the listed needs of the seniors are being met, or could be met, in the facilities now being used. The expected increase in the n?xmber of Seniors within our population, together with better development of programs may demonstrate the need for such facilities in the future but do not seem to do so at the present time. We do express the observation however that the need. for seperate facilities, and the feasability of a central recreat- ional facilitiy operated in conjunction with a larger Senior Citizens complex s)Aould be kept in mind and should be re-assessed. from time to time Report of the Senior Cdtizens Ad Hoc Steering Committee page 2 Observations ( con' t) (3) It should be noted that there is a percentage of Seniors within our community who desire seperate facilities at this time; but, it should also be noted. that there is a like percentage who are strongly opposed, to the erection or purchase of such facilities. It is also our observation that the la rgest percentage is non-committal, ( if not indifferent) , in the discussion regarding a seperate facility. A "ball-park" figure might show 20% in favor, 20% opposed, and 60% un-committed at this time. It has been a concern to this committee that many of the Seniors in our community do not show any interest in organised programs of any type and yet we arc glad to observe that these have,and are participating in, interests in other fields and are by no means non-participants nor isolationists. (4) We would also observe that this Steering Committee had neither the time nor the expertise to consider the wealth of statistical information available to astist in the decision making in this area of community life. We would recommend that before any long term planning be considered that this information be studied by someone compettent in this field. as a means of measuring the possable growth and the number of potential users of such a pro gram. Conc-Its ion The members of the Ad Hoc Steering Committee submit the above ohservations to the Community Services Committee with the hope that the members of that committee may find them useful in the continuing work which faces them in this area, Please be assured. of our support in your end.evours and accept our thanks for the opportunity of serving in this way, Respectfully Submitted.; Mr Peter Fedema, Seuretary Archdeacon Tom Gracie Chairman. The resolutions referred to are those numbered #CS-271-77; #CS-28577; & #CS-•286-77.