TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Ocean County Board of Commissioners recently approved the mid-year allocation of $448,987 from the Older Americans Act, supplemented by additional County funding, towards a variety of programs and services administered through the Ocean County Office of Senior Services.

The funds will be allocated and used to enhance various priority services for older adults in Ocean County. These services address the most urgent or essential needs of senior residents such as access to groceries and household items, Home Delivered Meals program, emergency costs like past-due rent or temporary housing accommodations, accessibility-based home modifications, various legal services, transportation for both medical and non-medical appointments, and more.

"We have over 200,000 seniors in our community, and that number is growing every day," said Ocean County Commissioner Robert S. Arace, liaison to the Office of Senior Services. "Ocean County is a beautiful place to live and age and it's imperative to preserve the infrastructure that supports seniors' independence and allows them to safely spend their later years here."

At the Board meeting on August 19, the Board of Commissioners approved the allocation of funding from the Older Americans Act in the following areas: $137,215 for Emergency, Transportation, Social Visiting, Housekeeping, Social Recreation, Physical Activity, and Respite Services; $22,213 for Home Repair; $45,000 for Congregate Nutrition; $194,203 for Home Delivered Meals; $10,356 for Evidence Based Physical Activity; $20,000 for Legal Services; and $20,000 for Assistive Technology, which includes personal emergency response systems and lock boxes.

With this additional funding, the Ocean County Office of Senior Services will assist an additional 500 community members through its various programs.

"By focusing on funding priority areas, such as transportation, food insecurity, social isolation and home accessibility, the Office of Senior Services, and Ocean County as a whole remains committed to improving the quality of life and safety of our aging population," Arace said.