The Pew Charitable Trusts awarded $4.3 million in grants to 27 Philadelphia-area organizations working to preserve the quality of life among low-income elderly people.
The recipient agencies deliver services that help seniors obtain public benefits, reduce depression and provide in-home assistance for self-care and household chores. The grants will also help fund programs for informal caregivers.
Altogether, the three-year grants are expected to help ensure 26,000 seniors have their basic needs met and provide depression and social isolation counseling services to an additional 1,200 people. The grants will also help 2,600 people with physical impairments receive personal care and chore services. An additional 600 caregivers will receive assistance through the supported organizations.
The Madlyn and Leonard Abramson Center for Jewish Life, which provides in-home support to the elderly in Northeast Philadelphia, received the largest grant, at $249,000. The Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, which also provides in-home support to elderly Philadelphians, received $242,000.
For a complete list of grant recipients, click here.
“Low-income and frail elderly are among the most vulnerable members of our community,” Frazierita Klasen, senior director of Pew’s Philadelphia program, said in a statement. “Pew is pleased to support local partners whose services and care help strengthen the dignity of the elderly and enable them to live safely and securely in their own homes for as long as possible.”