Doris Solaire, senior director of the Community Council of Dallas and director of the Dallas Area Agency on Aging (AAA), told the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission that the agency will run FY26 on a smaller clean allocation and is prioritizing core services for older adults.

Solaire said the AAA received a clean allocation of $8,500,000 through the state for the coming year, down from a clean budget base of about $8 million plus roughly $2,300,000 in carryover that brought last year’s total to about $10,300,000. "Last year, we got $10,300,000 because we always carry over funding," she said. "So this year we received funding, full allocation, $8,500,000, but it came from the reserve." The agency also reported receiving foundation and private grants — including a new SNAP-related grant and smaller awards from foundations and Blue Cross and Blue Shield — that staff said help fill gaps for high-need clients.

Why it matters: the AAA distributes services that help seniors remain in the community, including congregate and home-delivered meals, care coordination, benefit counseling, transportation for medical appointments, caregiver respite, limited emergency income support and minor residential repairs. Reductions to AAA funding would constrain those services or require tighter prioritization of who receives help.

Solaire reviewed the agency’s core offerings and eligibility. She said congregate meal sites are operated by Dallas County and by some independent community sites; home-delivered meals and transportation for dialysis and cancer treatment are funded through the AAA; benefit counseling is available at senior centers and by appointment; and the AAA also provides a limited set of in-house services including care coordination, legal services and short-term income support. Solaire said short-term services are not means-tested: "As long as you're 60 and you live in Dallas County and you have a need, K. So it's Qualified," she said, adding that the AAA's programs do not impose income or asset tests.

On home repairs, Solaire said the agency focuses on minor, safety-related fixes: grab bars, ramps and door repairs. She cautioned that major structural repairs often exceed local funding: "If you go to a home that need probably $20,000 repair. So it's this very it's it's a lot of challenge." The AAA maintains a waiting list and staff reported they assigned about 151 people from the waiting list in the first quarter of the year as they worked through backlog. Solaire described criteria that accelerate work on urgent needs, citing fall risk and safety as prioritizing factors under the Older Americans Act.

Solaire described the agency’s benefit-counseling work and the Medicare open enrollment window: "The open enrollment period for this program start in October 15 until December 7." She said the council both certifies benefit-counselor trainees and provides direct counseling at more than 15 senior centers and by appointment. She added the AAA now trains and certifies additional benefit counselors across Dallas to expand capacity.

On caregiver supports, Solaire summarized the federal respite program, including in-home vouchers and options to reimburse family or home-health providers. She also described a grandparent caregiver program that accepts caregivers as young as 55 for grandparents raising grandchildren.

Commissioners asked how residents apply; Solaire said the Community Council maintains a single intake line and an assigned intake worker. "If you call that number that is there, it's directly to our line. His name is Mario Rivera," she said. Solaire said Mario completes the intake and refers cases to on-the-ground partners such as access-and-assistance staff and Dallas County providers.

The AAA also reported grant awards that staff said expand specific services: Solaire named a caregiver grant of about $1,500,000, a SNAP-related grant awarded to the Community Council, and smaller foundation gifts (examples cited included $25,000) that the agency bundles with federal dollars to cover repairs or other shortfalls.

Ending: Commissioners requested written service descriptions and a schedule of site-based benefit-counseling events. Solaire said staff would provide a detailed service list and location schedule for distribution to commissioners and to the commission’s staff liaison. Contact information the presenter supplied: www.ccadvance.org and the AAA intake numbers provided during the presentation.