ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Georgia senior citizens just got a big win in the form of more than $5.6 million in funding for aging services.
And it’s millions of dollars to help people right here in Southwest Georgia.
The almost $6 million will fund services from Meals on Wheels to even providing more caseworkers to protect older adults from abuse.
The additional money was approved by state lawmakers during this year's session.
Seniors at the Kay H. Hind Senior Life Enrichment Center were excited to hear about the new opportunities Tuesday morning.
About 7,000 senior citizens in Georgia alone have been stuck on waiting lists, left in need of support services, like transportation and personal assistance.
Now almost 2,000 of those people will get the help they need.
The Georgia Council on Aging and CO-AGE took to the Capitol every day this past legislative session, working to show legislators the overwhelming need for more funding for legislative services.
“Whatever the programs are, our main objective is to make sure people stay in their homes for as long as possible,” said Duane Tolson, the social services coordinator with the Georgia Council on Aging.
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