[KHTS] – Thanks to a new contract with Los Angeles County, the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center in Newhall will receive yearly government funding for another four years.

At its Tuesday meeting, the county Board of Supervisors approved contracts for 24 organizations that participate in the Supportive Services Program.

Federal dollars are available to these contracting organizations, including the SCV Committee on Aging, through the Older Americans Act, passed in 1965 and amended most recently in 2006.

The Senior Center was awarded $166,318 for the 2014-2015 fiscal year. It’s comparable to funds received in previous years, which can fluctuate based on the federal budget.

The center has participated in the Supportive Services Program for more than three decades, said Executive Director Rachelle Dardeau.

“The SSP provides supportive services to older individuals … to address functional limitations, maintain health and independence, promote socialization, and ensure access to the senior services system to avoid premature institutionalization,” according to county board documents.

In keeping with this goal, the Center uses the funds provide a variety of services, including case management for seniors, home safety assessment, care plan development, Medicare application, in-home assistance and adult day care.

“We’re the only senior center in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Dardeau said. “We’re the only organization that has this contract with the county in the Santa Clarita Valley.”

And that contract is crucial to the Senior Center’s continued operation.

“Without this funding, we would have a hard time meeting the needs of the seniors in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Dardeau said. “This is a large portion of our funding.”