10/02-25
CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
March 10, 2025
TO: City Council
FROM: Office of the City Manager
SUBJECT: SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM UPDATE AND REQUEST FOR
DIRECTION ON SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS FUTURE PROGRAM
DEFICITS
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council consider options and provide direction regarding solutions to address future Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) deficits.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
The Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) provides services to seniors aged 60 and older through two primary programs: Meals On Wheels (MOW), which delivers meals to homebound seniors, and the Rendezvous Café congregate lunch program, which provides meals to seni ors at the Senior Center. The SNP is funded through the Older Americans Act (OAA), which allocates federal funds to the California Department of Aging and subsequently to the Ventura County Human Services Agency (VCHSA). Since 2005, VCHSA has provided annual grant funding to the City of Simi Valley to support the operational costs of senior meal programs, including both Congregate and MOW services. Historically, the City would submit an SNP grant application based on projected meal volumes, and VCHSA would cover both operating and food costs. In addition, food costs were paid directly by VCHSA, with staff having no oversight.
In April 2024, VCHSA informed the City that Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 funding would be reduced to $261,750 for program operating (non -food) costs and an equal amount allocated for food . While the grant amount of $261,750 continued to cover operating costs, the reduced food allocation limited the City’s ability to provide 29,083 meals – representing a 60% decrease from the 71,824 meals served in FY 2023-24.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
To mitigate the impact of the FY 2024-25 funding reductions, the following actions were implemented:
• The “Grab and Go” meal option was discontinued, and extra weekend and holiday meals were eliminated. No seniors were removed from the MOW program, but as
AGENDA ITEM NO.
9A
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participants left, they were not replaced with new clients, which reduced the annual number of meals projected from 71,824 in FY 2023 -24 to 58,750 meals for FY 2024-25.
• Nutrition staff have been able to reduce the cost per meal by purchasing more cost-effective meals from the lower-cost county-approved food vendors serving an additional 8,310 meals for FY 2024 -25. This reduced the cost of food from $646,416 to $528,750 and reduc ed the projected budget shortfall from $384,666 to $267,000.
• Efforts were made to contact the 92 individuals on the MOW waitlist to assess eligibility. These calls found that 51 seniors were either no longer interested, ineligible, had found alternative options, were unreachable, or had moved or passed away. Additionally, ten seniors have been successfully placed into service from the waitlist. However, during this two-month period, 16 new applications were submitted. As of January 31, 2025, 47 seniors remained on the waitlist.
On September 23, 2024, the City Council approved an allocation of $267,000 to subsidize the SNP. Additionally, on January 24, 2025, VCHSA announced the availability of an additional $55,000 in one -time funding from the California Department of Aging and the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging to assist with food costs. This will reduce the City's financial contribution for the current fiscal year. Any unutilized funds from the City will be re-appropriated to FY 2025-26.
VCHSA is not expected to provide the Senior Center with the SNP grant allocation for FY 2025-26 until March 2025. Whether the funding will remain at the current level or be further reduced is uncertain.
Below is a summary of how meal sites in Ventura County addressed their budget shortfalls for the current and next fiscal year, along with the number of meals served from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024.
MEAL SITE KEY ACTION/STATUS TYPE OF
SERVICE
MEALS
SERVED
Camarillo Health
Care District
$40,000 from the City for 250 MOW
clients, planning to seek City funding for
FY 2025-26
MOW only
20,328
Fillmore Absorbing personnel costs through
General Fund, avoided cuts by attrition
Congregate
& MOW 9,039
Moorpark Absorbing personnel costs through
General Fund, avoided cuts by attrition
Congregate
& MOW 7,322
Oxnard
Supplemented SNP with $350,000 from
Measure O funds, uncertain for FY
2025-26
Congregate
& MOW 21,710
Port Hueneme Reduced MOW by 70%, uncertain for
FY 2025-26
MOW only 1,010
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Santa Paula Reduced meals by 50%, approved
sales tax increase for restoration
Congregate
& MOW 8,814
Senior Concerns Maintained the program through grants
and private donations
MOW only 17.324
Simi Valley $267,000 City funding for FY 2024-25 Congregate and MOW 27,390
Ventura Reduced costs by in -house meal prep,
limited MOW to bi-weekly delivery
Congregate
& MOW 15,174
Potential Options
Staff is seeking direction from the City Council on how to move forward with the SNP in FY 2025-26. To proactively address potential funding shortfalls in the future, the following options are presented for City Council consideration:
Option 1: Fully Fund Meal Program (Total Budget $896,250) • 282 meals/day (MOW 182; Congregate 100); 70,500 meals/yr • Includes 47 individuals on the MOW wait list
• Total Grant Funding $523,500*
• Additional Funds Needed: $372,750
Option 2: Current Meal Program (Total Budget $790,500) • 235 meals/day (MOW 135; Congregate 100); 58,750 meals/yr • Does not include 47 individuals on the MOW wait list
• Total Grant Funding $523,500*
• Additional Funds Needed: $267,000
Option 3: Non-Subsidized Meals (Total Budget $523,500)
• 116 meals/day; 29,083 meals/yr
• Would need to remove 119 individuals from SNP (MOW & Congregate) that are currently receiving meals
• Total Grant Funding $523,500
• Additional Funds Needed: $0*
Option 4: Food Service Reduced to 4 days a week – All (Total Budget $769,350) • 282 meals/day (MOW 182; Congregate 100); 56,400 meals/yr • Includes 47 individuals on the MOW wait list
• Total Grant Funding $523,500*
• Additional Funds Needed: $245,850
Option 5: Food Service Reduced to 4 days a week – Partial (Total Budget $684,750) • 235 meals/day (MOW 135; Congregate 100); 47,000 meals/yr • Does not include 47 individuals on the MOW wait list
• Total Grant Funding $523,500*
• Additional Funds Needed: $161,250
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Notes:
*Total Grant Funding may change in future years depending on the funding amount provided by the County and VCHSA. The City currently receives $523,500 ($261,750 for food and $261,750 for non-food costs).
In FY 2024-25, a $55,000 one-time allocation was provided from the CA Dept. on Aging (CDA).
There is no commitment from CDA that additional Title IIIC funds will be made available in FY 2025-26
Options 4 and 5 would reduce meal service from 5 to 4 days a week. Many of the SNP participants are on fixed incomes , so the reduction in meals provided (200 meals/yr vs 250 meals/yr) could create financial hardships for them. In addition, reducing meal service to 4 days a week will create a situation where SNP participants will go three days or more, depending on holiday closures, without receiving a meal from the program.
In addition, the following funding alternatives are available for FY 2025-26:
1. The City can budget up to $372,750 (depending on the option selected by the City Council) in the General Fund to cover the shortfall.
2. The City and the Council On Aging (COA) can commit to fundraising $100,000 per year, with the General Fund absorbing up to $272,750 (depending on the option selected by the City Council).
3. The City and the COA can commit to fundraising $100,000 per year and reallocate Community Development Block Grant (C DBG)* funding to offset costs, with the General Fund absorbing the difference (depending on the option selected by the City Council). The deadline has passed to utilize CDBG funding for the current 2025 calendar year, but funding would be available for the 2026 calendar year.
Notes:
*On average, the City receives $650,000 per year in CDBG funds. A 15% max allocation can be used under Public Service Activities ($97,500/yr) , which SNP falls under. The new funding breakdown would be - Fundraising $100,000, CDBG $97,500, and GF $80,330. This would free up more flexible General Fund dollars to support other City projects and programs.
On February 28, 2025, City staff met with representatives from the COA to discuss the potential funding shortfalls in the S NP. The City requested to partner with the COA to reach an annual fundraising goal of $100,000. The COA representatives agreed to partner with the City to achieve the fundraising goal and to request COA board approval for $30,000 annually to assist with the budget shortfall.
These options and funding alternatives aim to ensure the continued success and sustainability of the SNP despite potential budget challenges. Staff requests that the City Council consider the potential options and funding alternatives outlined above and provide staf f with further direction in preparation for the City’s FY 2025 -26 budget discussions.
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Review and consider options and provide staff direction;
2. Provide staff with other direction.
SUGGEST CITY COUNCIL MOTION
Staff has no suggested motion.
SUMMARY
The Senior Nutrition Program is funded through the Older Americans Act, providing meals to seniors aged 60 and older through the Meals On Wheels and Congregate meal programs. For FY 2024-25, grant funding was reduced, leading to a 60% decrease in the number of meals compared to FY 2023 -24 and limiting the number of participants the program could serve. In response, the “Grab and Go” meal option was discontinued, and cost-effective measures were implemented to reduce meal costs. Additionally, the City Council approved $267,000 to subsidize the program. The grant allocation for FY 2025 - 26 is expected to be announced in March 2025, though it is uncertain whether funding will remain the same or decrease further. To proactively address potential funding shortfalls, options to ensure the program’s continued success and sustainability are being presented for City Council consideration.
____________________________________
Luis Garibay
Assistant City Manager
Prepared by: Kimberly Post, Community Services Manager