Youth, Seniors and Community Centers

Quality programming for our youth and seniors at local community centers is important contributor to a high quality of life in our city. The following is a list of some of the expanded services my city council colleagues and I approved in this year's budget:

• East San Jose YMCA. The YMCA provides educational, sports and life skills programs to the East San Jose community it serves. During the school year more than 3,000 youths participate in YMCA programs, and each summer 250 youths attend the day camp program. The YMCA is a valuable partner with the Mayfair Community Center, and it cosponsors special events such as Healthy Kids Day and Career Day. Funding the YMCA with the additional $34,000 is essential to continue to build strong kids, strong leaders and a strong community in the Mayfair neighborhood. (BD # 83 - $34,000)
• Hoover School Community Center. In collaboration with the San Jose Unified School District, the City was able to save the Old Hoover School, which is a designated City Landmark. As part of this partnership, the City will obtain a four-classroom satellite community center in the west wing of the building. The total budget for the retrofit and structural upgrades of the west wing is $1,162,174 million. District 6 has allocated $500,000 from District 6 Parks Fund toward these improvements. Additional funds will fund the kitchen, bathrooms, offices, and air conditioning of the center. (BD #54 - 200,000)
• Youth Fitness Facility at PAL Stadium. The Police Athletic League (PAL) is proposing to build a gymnasium that would provide a safe place for neighborhood youth to train in boxing, tae kwon do, weight lifting, and physical fitness. Last year, Council allocated $300,000 for this project. This request was based on a very preliminary estimate by the PAL Board of Directors. Since then, an architect has developed a thorough estimate for this project, and an additional $339,000 is needed. (BD #3 - $339,000)
• Expansion of “Off Track Program” at the Shirakawa Center. This program currently serves elementary school children with only two to four week summer day camp sessions, and does not offer extended hours between 2:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. This program will be expanded to a yearlong basis in order to provide optimum and consistent service to the community. An additional 1.0 FTE Recreational Leader will make this expansion of the “Off Track” Program possible. (BD #10 - $31,700
• Nutrition Program at the Iola Williams Center. This service has been expanded from four to five days a week. By expanding this effort, seniors served in the nutrition program will be able remain at the center after lunch to participate in workshops, classes, and recreational activities. (BD #11 - $18,200)
• Senior Transportation. The Aging Services Master Plan identifies transportation as an urgent need, especially for mobility-limited elders who are unable to participate in recreation and socialization services provided primarily by City and non-profit senior centers. Some seniors are not eligible for Outreach transportation services due to income requirements and therefore cannot take advantage of services for seniors. The expansion of vans serving senior centers will extend the availability of essential services to isolated seniors. This funding will purchase a total of four passenger vans for our four senior centers that currently do not have any. I further recommend that this addition be eligible for tobacco settlement fund if approved through the competitive process next year. (BD #76 - $315,112)
• Hoffman/Via Monte Neighborhood/Project Crackdown Maintenance Youth Center. Due the displacement of the current youth program in this neighborhood, it is essential to locate a facility to continue critical youth services. There are City, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and San Jose Unified School District sites available for the placement of a modular building for use as a youth center. Funding of $300,000 will include the design, site preparation and installation of a portable building. (BD #101 - $300,000 EFB/S)
• Alzheimer’s Activity Center. As the only Alzheimer’s-specific day program in Santa Clara County, this center has served more than 1500 families since1986. The seniors served by the center suffer from Alzheimer’s or related memory impairment and are extremely low to very low income. Eighty percent of the families served by the Alzheimer’s Center reside in San Jose. The affected population is growing rapidly, yet the Center’s funding from the City has remained constant for the last eight years. This $9,000 request will be added to the $9,000 recommended by the Administration in the Manager’s Budget Addendum #25, to bring the funding level to $18,000, which is the level the organization has received for the past eight years.(BD #81 - $9,000)
• Senior Employment Resource Center. Located at the Office on Aging, this program provides assistance to adults 50 years and older who are seeking employment. I recommend one-time funding for this program, and that this addition be eligible for tobacco settlement fund if approved through the competitive process next year. (BD #109 - $40,187)
• Smart Start Centers With its approval of my March budget memorandum, the Council endorsed the use the tobacco settlement funds for establishing Smart Start centers under the category of education programs. Funding is included for the addition of two more contracts to be completed next year at $450,000 each, for a total of seven centers. In the following years, we should have a goal of creating four new Smart Start centers per year. My office has done a preliminary survey of school districts and found 90 schools that potentially could have Smart Start centers. Smart Start centers throughout the community will increase the ability of young children to succeed when they enter school. ($900,000)