Study finds seniors' expenses exceed income

BARSTOW — Barstow resident Debby Justus had lunch at the Barstow Senior Center on Friday and wondered how her fellow seniors make ends meet on just their Social Security checks.

“The cost of everything is going up,” she said. “They survive but only if their house is paid for.”

With gas, food and health care costs increasing and concerns of the economy slowing, some observers worry that senior citizens on fixed incomes will be the most vulnerable.

The Elder Economic Security Standard Index, a recently published study from the non-profit Insight Center for Community Economic Development, found that it costs anywhere from $14,000 to $27,000 each year for a senior to live in San Bernardino County. The average senior in the county only makes about $12,000 from Social Security, according to the study. The federal poverty line, a national measure of the cost of living, estimates that a single person of any age can support themselves on $10,210 per year.

The creators of the elder index say that the poverty line underestimates the true cost of living in California because it assumes the cost of food makes up a third of a person’s expenses, said Susan Smith, who worked on the project.

“The reality is that most people spend 12 to 15 percent on food,” she said. “Most of their money goes to housing.”

She said for many seniors, especially those who still have to make mortgage or rental payments, housing accounts for up to half of their monthly expenses.

In rural areas like Barstow, housing costs less but expenses for health care and transportation are greater for seniors who have to travel farther for services, Smith said.

Her group fears that the state and federal government underestimate how much seniors need to live on, and will cut programs that assist low-income seniors in order to balance the budget.

The extent of potential budget cuts are unclear at this time, said Ginny Stafford, staff analyst with the San Bernardino County Department of Aging and Adult Services. Still, she said she doesn’t expect the assistance programs’ budgets to be increased even though prices are going up.

“The programs do the best they can, but they just aren’t well-funded and haven’t been for many years,” she said. “It’s not adequate for many people, especially in the rural areas.”

Stafford said that if prices continue to rise, many seniors may eat less to keep expenses down. Still, she said she expects most to be able to adapt to tough economic times.

“Seniors can stretch a dollar better than anyone,” she said.

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Increased demand, food costs causes difficulties for meal programs

BARSTOW — Increased demand for meals and stagnant county funding has made for tough times for area senior centers with meal programs.

Since July 2007, the Barstow Senior Center, which is funded by the county to provide meals for 53 seniors each day, has fed an average of 85 seniors daily, said the center’s president Jeff Eason Sr.

He said the increase in seniors served is a good thing, but the extra $900 monthly cost in unreimbursed meals has caused the organization to use funds — about $7,200 — normally used for the organizations’ activities and building maintenance.

Eason said the center’s contract with the county to provide meals will be renegotiated in July and he expects to receive funding to feed the additional seniors. Until then, he said the center plans to use fundraisers and donations from community members to make up for the funding difference.

“We can last until July, it’s just very difficult and extreme,” Eason said.

He said the center also loses money to deliver the dozens of meals it provides daily to the homebound.

“The funds we receive no where near meets our expenses,” he said.

At the Hinkley Senior Center, the county’s process of reimbursing the center after the expenses to prepare the meals have already been incurred can present a cash flow problem for the organization.

“We have to spend money before we get it,” said Fred Williamson, the center’s nutrition director.

The center, which feeds an average of 12 to 25 seniors per day, is making ends meet to pay its $2,000 to $3,000 monthly expenses. The center is reimbursed for 20 meals each day. Still, the center’s directors are considering increasing the suggested donation seniors are encouraged to pay for lunch from $2 to $2.50 due to the rising cost of food, Williamson said.

“Some people can’t even pay the $2,” he said.

-- Jason Smith