Northampton County to close 2 senior centers amid funding cuts

A sizable budget reduction will force Northampton County to shutter two senior centers this summer, much to the dismay of those who have come to rely on the facilities for support and community.

County officials said the Area Agency on Aging had seen a nearly $400,000 budget cut, forcing it to shut down the Lower Nazareth Township and Northampton Borough senior centers on June 30.

Seniors who attend those centers are being directed to other nearby locations, but many worry they will lose an important part of their daily lives.

“For some of them, this is a big deal for them…It’s their socialization,” said MaryAnne Steinert, 74, a volunteer at the Northampton Senior Center, located in the Grace United Church of Christ. “They come there, they see people they know. They hang out, they do a little bit of everything. They play cards, they talk, whatever, for four hours, and then they then they can go and do whatever they want with the rest of their lives. And it makes their day. It’s a reason to get out of bed, you know?”

According to the county, Northampton’s Area Agency on Aging lost an important revenue source when the state discontinued what’s known as “desk reviews,” which were assessments the agency was paid to conduct to determine eligibility for long-term care facilities. In 2025, Northampton’s AAA completed 1,440 reviews, generating $373,464 in revenue which went to supporting seniors in the community.

Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski said the discontinuation of desk reviews is linked to federal funding cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the federal spending law passed last July.

Zrinski said the loss of that revenue, coupled with the loss of COVID funding and flat funding from the state that “hasn’t kept up with the need that we have in in maintaining these agencies and senior centers,” has forced the closures.

Zrinski acknowledged that seniors at the affected facilities are “very disappointed and very angry.”

“This is going to change a routine that many seniors probably look forward to every day, but we’re hoping that relocating and consolidating these centers will have not as much of an impact as trying to spread the funding around to all of them,” Zrinski said.

The plan is to move seniors at the Lower Nazareth center to The Oliver C. Border House, located at 15 S. Wood St in Nazareth, and those at Northampton to Cherryville Senior Center at 4131 Lehigh Drive in Lehigh Township.

Sandra Lynn works on a puzzle Wednesday, May 6, 2026,...

Sandra Lynn works on a puzzle Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center at the Oliver C. Border House in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

John Lo Sacco works on a game of Sudoku on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center at the Oliver C. Border House in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

A bulletin of events of the month on display on the wall on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

A picture of the Nazareth Senior Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

From left: Charlie Mallon, Annette Minar and Noelle Labar converse Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center at the Oliver C. Border House in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Sandra Lynn works on a puzzle on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Bob Gretta is enjoying his afternoon on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

A picture of the Nazareth Senior Center on Wednesday, May 6,, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Pictured left to right: Charlie Mallon, Annette Minar, and Noelle Labrar in conversation.on Wednesday, May 6,, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Al and Sue Ruth who have been married for 57 years, pose for a picture on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Sandra Lynn looks at a puzzle on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

Lorriane Donchez works on a puzzle crossword puzzle on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Nazareth Senior Center in Nazareth. Due to a $400,000 cut in state funding for the Area Agency on Aging, Northampton County said it plans to close the Lower Nazareth and Northampton Borough senior centers effective June 30. Lower Nazareth seniors will be encouraged to attend the Nazareth center. (Jonathan Broady/Special to The Morning Call)

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But over the years, those seniors have built a community in these particular centers: They go there to socialize, exercise, and get a hot meal, or to just volunteer and help out their brethren, they said.

And disruptions to those services can be impactful, for those who may have to move to a new center — and to those who already attend The Oliver C. Border House and Cherryville.

Steinert said she is worried about those who may have to rely on their own transportation to get to Cherryville after Northampton closes, especially during inclement weather. And while LANtaVan does offer rideshare service for clients of the Area Agencies on Aging for both Northampton and Lehigh counties, she suspects many seniors won’t wish to rely on that service to travel to a facility that is further away.

“People are telling them, ‘Just go to Cherryville, Just go to Cherryville,’ like this is the answer. Well, maybe they don’t want to go to Cherryville,” Steinert said.

Funding cuts not unique to Northampton County

Zrinski said she has seen similar impacts on seniors in other areas, and had communicated with officials from Bucks County who confirmed they were facing funding issues for their centers as well. Bucks County officials did not return requests for comment.

“And from what I understand, this is happening in other areas as well. For some counties, it’s more of a concern than others, but for me, I have visited the senior centers, and I have seen what they do, and I know how important this is for the seniors in our community to have these locations to go to as their lifeline,” Zrinski said.

In Lehigh County, County Executive Josh Siegel said the elimination of desk reviews will lead to an approximate $800,000 loss in funding per year, but those cuts will not impact Lehigh senior centers, and “we are not planning any closures, program cuts, or staff furloughs.”

“While the funding reduction is significant, the county has been well-positioned to absorb it thanks to our fiscal discipline. Lehigh County Aging and Adult Services has taken a conservative approach to staffing, particularly when filling vacancies, which has helped absorb some of the impact,” Siegel said in a statement.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and may use reserve funds to cover gaps as we continue to assess long-term impact and explore our options.”

At the moment, Zrinski said, there isn’t too much to be done in fighting the closures. She did encourage the community to express their issues during public comment at County Council meetings, and, if possible, to volunteer or donate to the remaining centers.

Zrinski said she is in talks with the United Way for some form of support, in addition to other potential avenues.

“We’re going to try to do what we can. But right now, we just know that June 30, that’s when we hit that wall,” she said. “And again, it’s from a budget that I inherited. I have no real way of putting more money into the Area Agency on Aging budget, because that line item is what it is.”

While Steinert said she understands that the decision comes down to money — “I’m not taking sides in this. It’s a hard issue,” she said — the seniors who rely on the centers are left feeling the brunt of that choice.

“We’re just a little center right in the center of town kind of thing, and they feel it’s an important lifeline. And I guess they feel, ‘Well, why not close another one? Why us?” she said.

Dorothy Fegley, 75, is seeing plenty of the same reactions from the friends she has made during her time as a volunteer at Northampton.

“I go there to get out of the house, participate with people, be with people, and help people. That’s why I go there. And actually I walk there. I walk. I live a block away. That’s how close I am,” she said, adding several seniors over the age of 90 prefer the Northampton location due to its proximity to their own homes.

She’s also curious as to why Northampton — which consistently hosts about two dozen seniors per day — has to be folded into Cherryville, which she said has fewer members and activities.

“When we have bingo, the people from Cherryville come and they participate with us for bingo. And we love it. And they say to us … ‘Oh, gosh, Dorothy, we love coming here. Look at all the snacks you have!’ I said, ‘Yes, and all of us seniors donate to it every week,’” she said.

“We’re going to fight to the end,” Steinert said.

Brian Myszkowski is a freelance writer.

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