A homeless tent near a freeway. (File photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
For so many of us including the staff, volunteers and supporters of Serving Seniors, 2025 was a year that demanded adaptation, resilience and a willingness to move forward amid uncertainty.
Would critical federal and state funding disappear? Would our ability to find transitional and permanent housing for our homeless clients become even more challenging? Would we become overwhelmed by the need for meal services driven by inflation and rising food insecurity?
Instead, all this vital work continued based on our commitment to supporting low-income and homeless older adults in San Diego. Services are delivered with dignity, compassion and care.
What could have been a destabilizing situation based on fear of difficulties ahead instead became a rallying point, just as it did five years ago when the pandemic forced us to radically rethink our service delivery. It turned out to be a timely, powerful reminder of what is possible when a community comes together.
I won’t sugarcoat the situation. Fighting homelessness in San Diego has always been daunting. In 2025, we dealt with the reality of economic pressures, rising costs, policy uncertainty and a growing need among older adults.
Like so many nonprofits, Serving Seniors was asked again and again to do more, often with less.
But every single day, across every department, our team delivered on our promise that every senior matters and deserves our help.
What made the past year especially meaningful was the way our broader community rallied around our mission.
In 2025, Serving Seniors welcomed a record number of volunteers. Among them were our neighbors, students, retirees, employee groups and community members. Each person gave his or her time, energy, and compassion in unprecedented ways. They served meals, led activities, provided companionship and reminded our seniors they are seen and valued.
Our philanthropic community also stepped forward with remarkable generosity. Foundations, individual donors, corporate partners and civic leaders leaned in during uncertain times. Their support was more than financial, although their funds helped us make up a shortfall in the public spending we count on. Their willingness to contribute toward our programs and services affirmed their belief in both our mission and the people we serve.
It was a vote of confidence in our ability to provide our services in an efficient and effective manner. It told us they trust us to be good stewards of those donated dollars. It told us they understood and shared our belief at Serving Seniors that caring for older adults is a shared responsibility and a collective priority.
Because of these efforts, Serving Seniors provided 1.5 million meals and over 25,000 health and social service visits to 13,000 clients in 2025.
But most inspiring of all was the resilience of the seniors we serve at Serving Seniors and have served for more than five decades in San Diego County.
Many struggle to survive on limited incomes. Others confront serious health challenges. Some deal with the loss of a job and lingering stretches of unemployment. Too many have lost someone dear to them who provided stability in their lives. These issues lead to a shocking reality most of our clients are facing for the first time in their lives: homelessness, housing instability and social isolation.
And yet, they carry on with a refusal to give up, relying on their strength, humor, wisdom and grace gained through a lifetime of experience. Our clients walk into our wellness centers in downtown San Diego and now in Clairemont, or one of our ten congregate dining sites throughout San Diego County.
They arrive as strangers, but they build friendships, look out for one another, volunteer when they can, and offer perspective shaped by lives of experience. They become part of the fabric of our organization. They are the reason we stay so motivated. In countless ways, they serve us at Serving Seniors right back.
Our clients offer a daily reminder than resilience is not simply about enduring hardship. It is about connection. It is about showing up for one another. It is about community.
As we now look ahead to a 2026 with no more answers than we hoped to find in 2025, I feel something deeper than relief.
I feel ready. Ready because we have learned, adapted and strengthened our foundation.
I feel hopeful, because I have seen what is possible when neighbors, volunteers, donors and seniors themselves come together with shared purpose.
And I feel powerful, as part of a community that has proven its capacity to care, respond, and lead with compassion.
The past year reinforced an essential truth: resilience is something we build together. It grows through relationships and shared commitment, especially in uncertain times.
Our challenges ahead are real. But so is our collective strength. At Serving Seniors, we are ready. We are hopeful. And together, with your support, wisdom and trust that we can solve older adult homelessness in San Diego County.
Melinda Forstey is president and chief executive officer of Serving Seniors.
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