{"id":190074,"date":"2026-05-12T11:33:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190074\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:33:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T11:33:22","slug":"northampton-county-to-close-2-senior-centers-amid-funding-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/190074\/","title":{"rendered":"Northampton County to close 2 senior centers amid funding cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some of them, this is a big deal for them\u2026It\u2019s their socialization,\u201d said MaryAnne Steinert, 74, a volunteer at the Northampton Senior Center, located in the Grace United Church of Christ. \u201cThey 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\u2019s a reason to get out of bed, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the county, Northampton\u2019s Area Agency on Aging lost an important revenue source when the state discontinued what\u2019s known as \u201cdesk reviews,\u201d which were assessments the agency was paid to conduct to determine eligibility for long-term care facilities. In 2025, Northampton\u2019s AAA completed 1,440 reviews, generating $373,464 in revenue which went to supporting seniors in the community.<\/p>\n

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.\n<\/p>\n

Zrinski said the loss of that revenue, coupled with the loss of COVID funding and flat funding from the state that \u201chasn\u2019t kept up with the need that we have in in maintaining these agencies and senior centers,\u201d has forced the closures.<\/p>\n

Zrinski acknowledged that seniors at the affected facilities are \u201cvery disappointed and very angry.\u201d\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to change a routine that many seniors probably look forward to every day, but we\u2019re 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,\u201d Zrinski said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Sandra<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"John<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"From<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Sandra<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Bob<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Pictured<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Al<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Sandra<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Lorriane<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 14<\/p>\n

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)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And disruptions to those services can be impactful, for those who may have to move to a new center \u2014 and to those who already attend The Oliver C. Border House and Cherryville.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Northampton and Lehigh counties, she suspects many seniors won\u2019t wish to rely on that service to travel to a facility that is further away.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are telling them, \u2018Just go to Cherryville, Just go to Cherryville,\u2019 like this is the answer. Well, maybe they don\u2019t want to go to Cherryville,\u201d Steinert said.<\/p>\n

Funding cuts not unique to Northampton County<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd from what I understand, this is happening in other areas as well. For some counties, it\u2019s 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,\u201d Zrinski said.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cwe are not planning any closures, program cuts, or staff furloughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile 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,\u201d Siegel said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the moment, Zrinski said, there isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Zrinski said she is in talks with the United Way for some form of support, in addition to other potential avenues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to try to do what we can. But right now, we just know that June 30, that\u2019s when we hit that wall,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cAnd again, it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Steinert said she understands that the decision comes down to money \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m not taking sides in this. It\u2019s a hard issue,\u201d she said \u2014 the seniors who rely on the centers are left feeling the brunt of that choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just a little center right in the center of town kind of thing, and they feel it\u2019s an important lifeline. And I guess they feel, \u2018Well, why not close another one? Why us?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cI go there to get out of the house, participate with people, be with people, and help people. That\u2019s why I go there. And actually I walk there. I walk. I live a block away. That\u2019s how close I am,\u201d she said, adding several seniors over the age of 90 prefer the Northampton location due to its proximity to their own homes.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s also curious as to why Northampton \u2014 which consistently hosts about two dozen seniors per day \u2014 has to be folded into Cherryville, which she said has fewer members and activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we have bingo, the people from Cherryville come and they participate with us for bingo. And we love it. And they say to us \u2026\u00a0 \u2018Oh, gosh, Dorothy, we love coming here. Look at all the snacks you have!\u2019 I said, \u2018Yes, and all of us seniors donate to it every week,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to fight to the end,\u201d Steinert said.<\/p>\n

Brian Myszkowski is a freelance writer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A sizable budget reduction will force Northampton County to shutter two senior centers this summer, much to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,20758,182,16167,654,139,4729,434,28,432],"class_list":["post-190074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-lehigh-township","tag-local-news","tag-lower-nazareth-township","tag-nazareth","tag-news","tag-northampton","tag-northampton-county","tag-pennsylvania","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}