The Dignity Fund legislation is on the move and needs your help. The Dignity Fund would establish a set-aside from 2% of property taxes to meet the needs of San Francisco’s most vulnerable elders—veterans, elders living with chronic illness such as HIV and Alzheimer’s disease, homeless seniors and isolated LGBT seniors. Supervisor Malia Cohen introduced the Dignity Fund legislation at the Board of Supervisors on May 24. Next steps: the legislation goes before the Rules Committee and then the full Board for a vote to be put on the November ballot.
You can help stabilize funding for San Francisco’s growing elder population and ensure that the city has the financial resources to support the most vulnerable elders with health care services, in-home support service, home delivered meals, the programs and services provided by scores of contract agencies, home modifications and protection from homelessness by sending an email to the city’s Supervisors urging them to support the Dignity Fund legislation.
The increased funding would go beyond what the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) receives each year. DAAS resources have not been able to keep pace with population growth and the ever increasing cost of living in San Francisco. Stable funding would help non-profit senior serving organizations and community agencies to better plan for, and better meet, the needs of a rapidly growing and longer living population of elders. By 2030 the city’s elder population is expected to grow by an additional 100,000 San Franciscans. With the resources from the Dignity Fund, we can keep vulnerable and frail elders in their homes for as long as possible and as well as possible. This is a huge opportunity to make San Francisco a truly age friendly city.
The Dignity Fund legislation needs the support of at least six of the eleven members of the Board of Supervisor to place it on the November, 2016 ballot. The deadline to place it on the ballot is July 26. Thanks to Supervisors Malia Cohen and Eric Mar, Norman Yee, David Campos and John Avalos for co-sponsoring the legislation. Please email the following Supervisors today to join in supporting the Dignity Fund to ensure that elders, adults with disabilities, veterans and those living with chronic illnesses are able to receive critical services and support. Together we can do this.
District 2 – Mark.Farrell@sfgov.org
District 3 – Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org
District 4 – Katy.Tang@sfgov.org
District 5 – London.Breed@sfgov.org
District 6 – Jane.Kim@sfgov.org
District 8 – Scott.Wiener@sfgov.org
Go to the Dignity Fund website to receive updates, volunteer or donate. http://www.sfdignityfund.org/
Marcy Adelman, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in private practice, is co-founder of the non-profit organization Openhouse and was a leading member of the San Francisco LGBT Aging Policy Task Force.
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