We are excited to welcome Seniors Count as a guest columnist for this edition’s Weekly Perspective! Seniors Count is a community-led coalition focused on educating the public and advocating for the needs of adults aged 60 and older. In this passage, Seniors Count provides insight on Prop S in St. Louis County. Prop S would establish the St. Louis County Senior Citizens’ Services Fund, in which similar funds exist in 57 countries across Missouri. This post was written by Jamie Opsal of Seniors Count; thank you Jamie for your contribution!:
St. Louis County seniors and their families are facing growing financial challenges. One in three seniors in St. Louis County struggles to make ends meet. Many older adults earn too much to qualify for government assistance but not enough to cover all their basic needs. They have worked hard, raised families, and contributed to our communities, yet many are now struggling to afford the support they need to remain safely and independently in their own homes.
For many seniors living on fixed incomes, there is little room for unexpected expenses. A major home repair, high utility bill, or unexpected emergency can quickly create a financial crisis. Even seniors who can cover their regular monthly expenses may be just one unexpected bill away from being put at risk of losing their independence or forced to leave their home and neighborhoods they know and love. Proposition S offers a practical, affordable solution to help bridge this gap.
Prop S would establish a St. Louis County Senior Citizens’ Services Fund to provide reliable funding to community organizations that help older adults remain safe and independent in their own homes. These services could include transportation to appointments, in-home care, minor home repairs, and emergency assistance with utility bills. These are everyday services that make a tremendous difference in someone’s ability to remain independent. Something as simple as a ride to a doctor’s appointment or assistance with a necessary home repair can help prevent a larger crisis.
Senior Citizen Services Funds already exist in 57 counties across Missouri, helping communities provide critical service to aging adults. Proposition S would bring this established approach to St. Louis County.
Keeping seniors safely in their homes is not only better for their quality of life, but it can also help reduce the need for more expensive care and ease burdens of loved ones. Nursing home care can cost up to 5x more than in-home care. By helping older adults access support before a crisis occurs, Prop S can reduce financial pressure on families and potentially lessen the burden on government funded services.
Prop S is also about supporting the family members who care for our seniors. Across St. Louis County, family caregiving are balancing their own jobs, families, and caring for aging parents or relatives. This can cause caregivers to miss work, take unpaid time off, or sacrifice their own finances to help loved ones get to appointments, manage household needs, and remain safe at home. By funding community organizations that provide these essential services, Prop S would help ease the pressure on family caregivers and give them additional support when they need it most.
Proposition S would be funded through a property tax levy of five cents for every 100 dollars of assessed property value. For a homeowner, that amounts to approximately $9,50 per year of every $100,000 of appraised home value, or less than $1 per month. For less than $1 a month for a home valued at $100,000, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults and the families who care for them.
The fund would also include important safeguards to ensure transparency and accountability. An independent, seven-member board would oversee the fund and ensure resources are directed toward services that benefit older adults. St. Louis County would also conduct an annual audit to provide financial oversight. Proposition S is not about partisan politics. It is about providing practical support, responsible oversight, and a better quality of life for our seniors.
Aging is something we all have in common. Whether we are thinking about our parents, grandparents, neighbors, or our own futures, we all deserve the opportunity to grow older safely, independently, and with dignity. Prop S is about making sure St. Louis County is a place where older adults have the support they need to remain in the homes and communities they love. On November 3, vote YES on Proposition S. It’s good for seniors, good for families, and good for St. Louis County.
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