An organization that provides Oklahoma seniors with resources like meals and transportation is facing uncertainty about the future of its federal funding.
The Areawide Aging Agency in Oklahoma City covers Canadian, Cleveland, Logan and Oklahoma counties, working to advance the dignity and independence of adults ages 60 and older. CEO Blair Schoeb said the group provides thousands of seniors with meals across about 25 locations or through home deliveries.
The group also offers transportation to seniors through a partnership with EMBARK and legal services in collaboration with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma.
The group receives funding through the Older Americans Act, which seeks to support older Americans' ability to live at home and in the community longer. It has been primarily administered by the Administration for Community Living – a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
About 85% of the Areawide Aging Agency's funding comes from federal and state dollars, Schoeb said. It goes through about $500,000 a month. He fears the group's federal funding could see impacts in the coming months – especially because it lacks enough reserves to fill in potential gaps.
At the end of March, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a reorganization that would divide the community unit's responsibilities among other agencies, including the Administration for Children and Families and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"This consolidation allows the department to better meet the current health needs of vulnerable populations across the country," a spokeswoman for H.H.S. said in a statement to the New York Times. "This does not impact the important work of these critical programs as it will continue elsewhere within H.H.S."
Schoeb said he "isn't wild" about this consolidation, but he doesn't see it as the end of the world. The agency is focused on its ability to provide services, and he said it has received assurances that its nutrition programs will not be cut.
"In terms of the number of people that we serve and the amount of money that we use to pay for those services, that is by far our biggest piece," Schoeb said. "After that point, it gets a little bit murkier."
Schoeb said he is more worried about appropriations at the federal level getting done in a timely manner. Normally, he said he knows by December how much money the group would have for the next fiscal year. But it is May now, and he said he doesn't have that information.
"[We're] very concerned that we're going to get into a period where there may not be money appropriated, or the appropriate money may not have arrived here in Oklahoma yet. So we're going to have gaps in all of that," Schoeb said. "… I think we're going to take care of all of these other battles, but if we don't make sure the money moves along, it doesn't make any difference."
For many seniors, Schoeb said the agency's meals might be the only one they get in a day, and the transportation they offer might be the only way someone can get to the doctor. And, by 2034, seniors are projected to outnumber children, meaning more services will be necessary to meet their needs.
"We're looking at [a] reduction of services that we consider key towards maintaining seniors' independence," Schoeb said.
Schoeb said the agency is communicating with the state Legislature amid this uncertainty.
"I am not in a panic mode at this point, but the fiscal year ends in two months – the state fiscal year," Schoeb said. "If I go into July 1 without funded contracts, then I'll probably not be of the same frame of mind. I think by then it will be time for panic."
StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma's public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.
Copyright 2025 KGOU
