Author: Dian Ferguson

Owing to the Coronavirus, COVID-19, and the requirement for spatial separation, it became necessary to readapt our programs and activities to seniors and the community. We are providing to-go lunches for pick -up, between 40 – 60 daily. We are delivering 60 – 70 lunches and meals on Wednesday and Friday. 

We also provide 80 basic grocery essentials delivered on Wednesday and Friday’s.  We deliver hot meals and to-go lunches as well as the purchase of supplemental foods for the grocery essential bags that we deliver. We have been picking up prescription drugs for seniors as needed and daily have been offering health and wellness calls.  Other activities include helping seniors complete forms for entitlement benefits such as food assistance and unemployment support.  

We are maintaining office hours, 8:30 am – 5 pm, Monday – Friday for this purpose. Staff and several volunteers are on-site daily helping to prepare and bag groceries, acting as drivers to deliver hot meals, and cold to go boxed lunches. Those picking up lunches can come through the front door and get them. We are practicing spatial distance. All staff members have their own offices. The dining hall is ample spacing for the preparation of bagging the to go hot meals, boxed lunches, and groceries to be delivered. 

Staff and volunteers have all been provided masks and nitrile gloves for usage. Seniors can feel free to call CASC for assistance.
 
On Friday, April 24th Swedish Hospital set up tents and did testing for us at FAME Church, 1522 14th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122, from 10 am – 4 pm, for the Coronavirus. It was drive through testing by appointment only. 85 seniors were tested. There was NO CHARGE FOR TESTING! TESTING WAS FREE. However, through an IT error some people received a bill from Swedish for $201.00. These bills have all been retracted. A computer glitch generated them. Call us if you have any questions. 206-726-4926. Swedish apologizes for this confusion.

Greetings hope everyone is healthy and well as we self isolate to adhere to and practice what is necessary for the era of the Coronavirus.  I am attaching the link to today’s story on seniors in The Seattle Times.  I will be sending out updates as to our programs and activities and the changes we will be adhering to tomorrow and moving forward.  Let me know if you have any questions. 

The City has postponed the Council hearings on the property transfer for the next two weeks owing to the Coronavirus response.  This provides us with some additional time to address some financial questions and concerns they had with us and Sound Generations and will enable us to submit a Financial Statement better reflective of our interests and current status. 

Dian

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/as-seniors-isolate-against-coronavirus-they-and-their-families-work-at-staying-emotionally-strong/

Sound Generations (SG) and the Central Area Senior Center (The Central) announced this week a reorganization of their partnership. On January 1, 2020, The Central will assume all administrative responsibilities to become an independent organization. SG will continue providing senior services like Community Dining and Enhanced Fitness at The Central. The full reorganization will be completed by the end of March 2020. 

Both organizations view this as a timely and necessary step for The Central. The organizations have formed a Transition Team to oversee implementing these changes. 

Staff, members, and the public will experience no disruptions of services or programs. 

“The long-term purpose and vision of the Central remain what it was when we were founded by community activists in the late 1960s,” said Barbara Peete, The Central’s Board President. “We’re here to celebrate and serve all seniors, and especially those of African American and African immigrant backgrounds that live in King County.” 

Darryl Price, SG’s Board President said, “It’s exciting to be working with The Central’s dedicated, engaged staff, Board, and the broader community to recognize and support this community treasure—The Central.” 

In 1975, Mayor Wes Uhlman used state funds, donations, and money raised in the community to purchase the property at 500 30th Avenue South as The Central’s permanent home. It is anticipated that in 2020 the City of Seattle will transfer the deed—and the responsibilities—for the site to the organization. This transfer aligns with the City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative goal of returning control of community institutions to the communities being served. 

“We’re ready to take The Central into the next decade,” Dian Ferguson, The Central’s Executive Director said. “This transition to greater independence could not have come at a better time.”

CASA leases the current property from the City of Seattle at a discounted rate via a Mutual and Offsetting Benefit (MOB) Lease.  The terms of the MOB dictate that in exchange of the reduced rent, CASC would provide services and activities for seniors.

For the last three and a half years, starting in early 2015, CASC responded to a series of information requested by former Mayor Edward Murray and the City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administration in pursuit of the ownership of the facility we have occupied for the last fifty-one years, a publically owned building of the City of Seattle located at 500 30th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144 in the heart of the Central District.

CASC was told this information was requested to help determine the date and time of the transfer of the current facility to a “newly” incorporated 501 c 3 CASC board in 2019 on behalf of its membership and for the purpose of service to the Central District.

A significant amount of professional and volunteer time and financial resources totaling more than $180,000 went into the preparation of the materials requested by the City of Seattle.  Prior to the start of the materials requested, CASC had to first raise the funds needed to generate the information the City of Seattle requested.

We are appreciative of a large grant from the Department of Neighborhood, the many individual donors who donated, special events revenue, 4 Culture support, and City of Seattle Department of Human Services funding recent funds from the 2018 King County Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy dollars.

On November 19th, 2018, The City Council -through the hard work of Council members Lisa Herbold and
Mike O’Brien and their staff – voted 9 – 0 for the City to transfer or sale the properties.  They put a deadline of
June 30th, 2019.

Feel free to click on the forms below to view factual information about where we are at in the acquisition of the building and property.

1026 update CASC.docx

QA updater 011519