By taking this information back into their neighborhoods, volunteers help educate over 150 residents monthly. I am also extremely proud of our Veterans Services program that advocates for the men and women who have served our country and their dependents. One area that I am particularly concerned about is our most needy residents. Although seniors are more active and have a higher income than ever before, in Orange County there are 15,000 adults aged 60 and older who live at or below the poverty line and 12,000 residents with mobility or self-care limitations. We, as a society, have a special responsibility to these citizens.
Affordable housing is another major issue.
We have several programs that assist seniors with their housing needs including the home energy assistance program, weatherization program, and community development block grant rehabilitation program to correct housing code violations. The County has also gone beyond providing services and has long been a major funder for community programs. But, I do not believe this is enough. From my very first day in office, it has been one of my goals to build on this strong foundation of senior programs. It is time to establish a commission on elder affairs to examine the County s current level of service for seniors and compare this to the needs of our senior community.