Seniors in Monterey County will have a new place to socialize and explore different services starting Thursday.
A new one-stop Aging Hub is being launched by the Salinas-based Alliance on Aging, right behind the agency’s Main Street headquarters. The hub can be accessed from Main Street or Monterey Street.
Jody Rogers, operations director at the Alliance on Aging, said a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the hub will be held at 5 p.m. July 7 at the front of the hub at 236 Monterey St. The public is invited to arrive starting at 4 p.m. To tour the new facility.
The aging hub will offer six programs from the Alliance on Aging, as well as services from six additional new partner organizations, including assistance with technology, transportation, navigating Medicare and legal issues, senior peer counseling and more.
Rogers said the hub was a longstanding goal for the Alliance.
“We’ve been talking about it for years,” Rogers said.
The Alliance on Aging also expanded its headquarters to include a Spirals benefits store, which sells higher-end furniture, clothing, jewelry and other items to benefit the new aging hub. The expansion became possible when the YWCA moved out of the shared office space.
“The timing was right, everything fell into place,” she said.
Partner organizations at the aging hub include Independent Transportation Network Monterey County, Central Coast Center for Independent Living, the Aging and Disability Resource Connection, the Blind and Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County, Legal Services for Seniors, and Ecology Action.
Rogers said during her presentation to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday that the need for the hub was made more urgent when the pandemic hit, which she said worsened social isolation among seniors.
“We want them to feel comfortable to come out and socialize and get the services they need,” Rogers said.