Ad
BELEN—Hub City taxpayers will now have to foot the bill for a local program that helps senior citizens become more involved in the community, and was once partially subsidized by federal funding.
The Retired Senior Volunteer Program helps people ages 55 and older get into the community and volunteer at more than two dozen locations across Valencia County.
The funding for AmeriCorps Seniors, the federal agency that manages grants and programs to support volunteers and vulnerable populations, was recently slashed as part of President Donald Trump’s agenda against diversity, equity and inclusion.
Daniel Carbajal, the city of Belen’s finance director, went before the council earlier this month asking for a $42,500 budget adjustment to keep the program running. He informed the governing body the funding for the RSVP program had been revoked by the Trump administration, and the city could transfer the funding for the program from the city’s general fund to cover the cost for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.
“There is no federal funding source we’re waiting on; it was cut specifically for DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion),” Carbajal said. “Senior citizens are considered as DEI and it was cut from the federal budget.”
Carbajal said he’s expecting the federal government will probably not fund the program going forward, at least for the next year.
“We’re able to fund it for the rest of this year,” he said. “We might have to fund it in the next fiscal year and for the next four years, but we’ll need to talk about it during our budget meetings.”
Belen City Manager Roseann Peralta said the RSVP program is funded through federal, state and local entities. She said the city has applied for a grant for federal funds but didn’t receive it.
“In order to keep that program going and those employees paid, we need to cover that funding,” Peralta explained.
Belen City Councilor Frank Ortega asked what would happen if the federal government didn’t authorize the funding next year. He inquired if Valencia County is contributing to the cost of the program as well. Peralta said the city is looking into that possibility.
Ad
According to the city’s website, the RSVP program also helps:
• Partners with AARP for tax preparation services for seniors
• Provides information and guidance to seniors and families in need with free food distribution
• Hosts an annual luncheon for all its volunteers
• Provides support for events at the Belen Senior Center
• Hosts an annual health fair
• Adopted a Belen city park on Ross and 10th Street by adding landscaping, regular cleanups and maintenance
• Removal of graffiti from structures in the community
• Keeping volunteers informed with a quarterly newsletter
RSVP volunteers serve from a few hours to 40 hours a week. They have committed to volunteering and different organizations, such as the Belen Area Food Pantry, Bosque Farms Senior Center, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Belen Public Library, Meadow Lake Senior Center, Secundino Baldonado American Legion Post No. 81, St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and Valencia County Animal Shelter.
After the meeting, Peralta said the city could also suffer other federal funding cuts, such as money to maintain the runway the U.S. Air Force uses at the Belen Regional Airport. She also said some of the people at federal agencies the city deals with on a regular basis have been fired.
