Office for the Aging Relocates to New Facility
Larger, centralized location provides improved access to programs for seniors
Poughkeepsie … Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro announced the Dutchess County Office for the Aging (OFA) has relocated into a new, state-of-the-art senior center at 114 Delafield Street in Poughkeepsie, a move that provides residents with improved programming space and a new kitchen facility, among other enhancements.
OFA offices are now housed in a new 10,500-square-foot space, North Point in Poughkeepsie, which combines three locations: the former 27 High Street offices, the OFA’s City of Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center, and the OFA kitchen, formerly located at 488 Main Street in Poughkeepsie.
County Executive Molinaro said, “For years, Office for the Aging staff and the seniors they serve dealt with an outdated and inefficient building, one with a dilapidated infrastructure and limited parking. Moving into a new building benefits countless Dutchess County seniors – both those who come to the Office for the Aging in Poughkeepsie for programs and services, as well as enhanced service for those throughout the County who enjoy home-delivered meals five days a week. By moving to this new location, we look forward to continuing the fine service seniors have come to expect from the Office for the Aging, as well as enhancing their experience and helping them live more productive lives.”
A new, modern kitchen occupies the ground floor of the North Point facility, improving preparation of meals, as well at their distribution throughout the county through the use of a freight elevator. The first floor of the North Point facility will house a new Senior Friendship Center, which will offer improved space for enhanced senior programming offerings and the potential for expanded hours. The remaining space on the first floor, as well as the entire second floor, houses OFA offices. The new facility provides a more centralized hub for senior services for Poughkeepsie residents, and it is located along Dutchess County Public Transit’s existing CP bus route.
As the result of its five-day-a-week, home-delivered meal program, OFA served 136,575 delivered meals to 671 clients in 2018. Space at the former OFA kitchen was inadequate to meet the needs of seniors countywide, particularly as the expansion to five-day-a-week delivery substantially increased the number of people served. The former facility was inefficient for productive distribution of home-delivered meals to all areas of Dutchess County.
The OFA’s City of Poughkeepsie Senior Friendship Center had been located in a room at the Hudson Valley Community Center on South Grand Avenue. In recent months, seniors have shared space with their peers at the OFA’s Tri-Town Senior Friendship Center, located at 55 Overlook Road in Poughkeepsie. In the coming days, however, the new Senior Friendship Center at the North Point facility will open with more space for programming, as well as a programming director to coordinate activities.
In 2018, OFA staff served more than 13,000 individual seniors, non-seniors in need of long-term care, caregivers and family members with a wide variety of community-based services, including, among others, case management, case assistance, home care, senior centers, home-delivered meals, legal services, insurance counseling, energy assistance, transportation, caregiver services and health promotion. Additionally, OFA reception staff fielded 31,493 telephone calls and assisted 3,846 walk-ins last year at its High Street Office.
OFA Director Todd Tancredi said, “County Executive Molinaro’s vision for an enhanced Senior Center at this new location provides numerous benefits for our seniors throughout Dutchess County. From creating an more central location with better access, to housing a contemporary kitchen and modernized Senior Center, this move gives Dutchess County seniors the type of facility for which they’ve long yearned, as well as a better connection to our dedicated staff, which works to serve them best.
“It may take a few days for us to truly get our feet under ourselves in our new home. As such, we appreciate our residents’ patience as we work to bring them the same great services at our new complex as we did in our former home.”
All OFA phone numbers and email addresses remain the same, and formal grand opening will be held this spring. More information about the OFA’s diverse offerings is available at http://www.dutchessny.gov/
