Celebrating Community Partners: The Siragusa Foundation

Jul 21

Written By

Last week, Sharmila Thakkar and Caitlyn Hicks from The Siragusa Foundation stopped by the Pat Crowley House to see firsthand how H.O.M.E. impacts the community. Before their visit, one of H.O.M.E.’s residents, Judy (an ardent coffee drinker), made a pot of coffee to offer the guests. We caught up with Judy on the porch as she was enjoying the beautiful weather and a book and thanked her. After a tour of the house, we shared more about H.O.M.E.’s intergenerational housing program—about the residents’ needs and the support they receive, about how staff act as patient advocates and community engagement coordinators, about how seniors’ faces light up when young volunteers visit them.

Volunteers at Pat Crowley House We also talked to Sharmila and Caitlyn about the growing need of H.O.M.E.’s services in our community. Chicago’s older adult population will double in size by 2030. With this population increase, the number of seniors living in poverty will also rise and the demand for our services will undoubtedly increase as well. Isolation and disability further threatens seniors’ health and well-being, and being financially vulnerable makes it nearly impossible to pay for in-home maintenance services. Thousands of low-income Chicago seniors do not have the means or support they need to live in adequate housing.

Despite facing enormous economic and social challenges, our clients remain fiercely independent. However, there are continual threats to the independence of older adults:

Lack of quality affordable housing: Research from the Department of Housing and Urban Development finds over 1 million seniors currently within the guidelines for “worst case housing needs” and increasingly more seniors are falling below the poverty level.
Seniors live unnecessarily in long-term care facilities: According to CDC data, 1.5 million people live in nursing homes. However, research shows that it’s not necessarily declining health but how ailments prevent people from living independently that often force people to live in assisted living or nursing homes.
Food insecurity and access to healthy food: According to Feeding America, in 2012, 2.8 million households with seniors experienced food insecurity. The number of food insecure seniors is projected to increase by 50 percent when the youngest of the Baby Boom Generation reaches age 60 in 2025.
Desire to remain living independently without the resources to do so safely: Nearly 90 percent of seniors ages 65 and older want to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, according to AARP.
Desire to move to a better living situation without the means to do so: 80 percent of older adults believe their current residence is where they will always live. However, for older adults to age in community, their physical and service environment must be accommodating. Sometimes this requires moving to a new environment, which can be stressful and expensive.

Sharmila, who mentioned that she mentors youth and is involved in initiatives to spread the culture of philanthropy in the community, said that she believes that we should be vocal about charitable giving. Why shouldn’t we talk about the communities we support and the issues that people in our communities are facing? What better way to influence others than to let them know about programs and people who are working hard to make a difference in others’ lives?

The Siragusa Foundation funds organizations that help underserved people in the Chicago area help themselves and experience a better quality of life. The foundation works in partnership with organizations like H.O.M.E. to connect those in need to services, bridge people to opportunities, and engage them as valued individuals in a caring society with the purpose of fulfilling basic needs, enhancing quality of life and fostering a sense of community. For the past nine years, The Siragusa Foundation has helped H.O.M.E. do just that for low-income seniors in Chicago.

H.O.M.E. is honored to recognize the generosity of The Siragusa Foundation in its support of the Upkeep & Repair Program. With the continued commitment of partners such as Siragusa, we look forward to positively affecting the lives of the men and women in Chicago, who will receive essential repairs that will help them to stay safe and healthy in their own homes.

If you would like to take a tour of one of our residences to see the impact on our community that your contributions support, please feel free to contact me at AmberM@HOMEseniors.org.