• Senior Residences
• Senior Centers
• Golden Age Clubs
• Good Neighbor Nutritional Program
• Exercise Venues
• Senior Discounts
• Golf
• Income Tax Assistance
• Blood Pressure Screening
• Emergency Response
• Public Safety
• Handicap Parking
• Public Transportation
• Workforce Training and Employment
• Project Access
• Homeless Shelter
• Safe Walks
• Special Assessments
• Paint Grant Program
• Secondary Structure Demolition Program
• Exterior Repair Program
• Emergency Home Repair Program
• Deferred Loan Program
• Direct Loan Program
• Rental Housing Revolving Loan Program Single/Multi Unit
• Kansas Foodbank Warehouse
• HOMEownership 80 Program
• Neighborhood Cleanup
• Residential Historic Loan Program
• Holding Down Essential Costs
• Sedgwick County Department on Aging

You can also download the brochure, City Services Available For Seniors (available in PDF).

The City of Wichita has provided low-cost financing through Industrial Revenue Bond financing, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Community Development Block Grant Program and HOME, for hundreds of new construction and renovated apartments that exclusively serve seniors. These include the following:

*City of Wichita provided $8,700,000 in low-cost financing to renovate this facility.

The City of Wichita has contributed nearly $1,000,000 for the acquisition and renovation of the Senior Services, Inc. facility (200 S. Walnut, 267-0302). Senior Services, Inc. is a non-profit agency devoted to serving the needs of seniors including Meal on Wheels, Roving Pantry and other programs. In addition, the City has funded a portion of the construction of several Senior Centers, including the Senior Center co-located with Plaza North Senior Residences.

Eight recreation centers have Golden Age Clubs. For only $2 per person per year, weekly meetings are planned providing dances, dinners, and occasional trips. The City provides the facilities and City staff schedule, promote, setup and host the meetings.

The Park Department also hosts the Good Neighbor Nutritional Program in eight recreation centers. The City partners with the Red Cross to provide this program by providing the facilities and lending staff to support it.

In addition to 32 miles of walking/jogging/biking paths throughout the City’s park system, times are reserved at the ten recreation centers specifically for senior citizen walking programs. Also, the park system maintains many amenities tailored to senior citizen preferences, including horseshoe courts, shuffleboard courts, and walking trails.

There are Senior discounts at many City facilities and programs, and including non-City attractions which receive support from City resources, such as Botanica, Old Cowtown, and the Mid-America All-Indian Center.

Senior passes are available at each of the City’s five municipal golf courses for those over 62 years of age. Senior passes provide significant discounts, especially for those who play frequently.

Each year, Neighborhood Assistants coordinate AARP volunteers to provide assistance with income tax and other forms in each of the City’s four Mini City Hall locations at no cost to senior citizens.

Each of the City’s 18 fire stations are staffed to provide free blood pressure screenings from 10 AM to noon on Saturdays. Generally, Fire staff will provide a blood pressure screening any time if they are not on an alarm or otherwise engaged in training or other essential function.

Fire and Police respond to calls from all citizens for a variety of reasons. One of the most important features of the City’s emergency response program are the 50 defibrillators – at least two at each fire stations – to use in heart attack cases.

Wichita Police Officers regularly present seminars and workshops to older citizens on how to identify and protect oneself from con artists. In fact, Officer Brad Bryant is nationally known in this area. Also, Police Officers routinely check on older residents when they are aware of special circumstances. Community Police Officers are especially available to assist Senior Citizens.

In addition to convenient parking at all City facilities for those with handicaps, the City also protects all handicapped parking places throughout the City through the SNAP-IT program. This program expands the enforcement of parking violations by enrolling hundreds of volunteers to "police" handicapped parking spaces.

Curb-to-curb paratransit service is available for qualified applicants, many of whom are elderly. And all Seniors may ride the regular public transit (bus) system for half-fare at any time of the day.

The City provides employment services for seniors through the Workforce Investment Act program. Contact Career Development at 337-9444.

Project Access is a City/County/United Way/Medical Society partnership providing medical care and prescription drugs to patients who live in Sedgwick County and earn less than federal poverty guidelines (about $25,000 for a family of four). The program is designed primarily for the working uninsured persons but also benefits seniors. Contact Project Access at 688-0600.

The City contracts with Anthony Family Shelter and Catholic Charities Homeless Services to provide rent and utility assistance to persons at-risk of becoming homeless. Call 264-7233.

See Charter Ordinance No. 88.

The City’s special assessment program includes special cost reduction features available to citizens over 65 or who are low-income earners.

Provides paint up to $150 per household for residents who own their own home and are located within a Redevelopment Incentives Area. Paint labor grants are available for senior residents and disabled. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provides a grant of up to $1,500 to demolish substandard secondary structures. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provides low interest grants up $7,500 for residents who own their own home and are located within a Local Investment Area. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provides emergency repair grants up to $1,000 and emergency loans up to $5,000 for residents who own their own home and are located within a Local Investment Area. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provides deferred loans up to $35,000 for residents who own their own home, meet income qualifications are located within a Local Investment Area. Loan payments are deferred until home is sold. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provides low-interest direct loans of up to $25,000 for residents who own their own home, meet income qualifications and are located within a Local Investment Area. Contact Department of Housing Services at 268-4314.

Provide low-interest revolving loans, deferred for 2 years with a maximum of $10,000 per unit for property in the Local Investment Area. Maximum assistance to any borrower is $30,000. Loan amortized up to a maximum of 20 years.

The Kansas Foodbank Warehouse purchases and distributes food to the low-income population and those who have recently suffered a reduction of income due to layoffs.

The HOMEownership 80 Program involves lenders, realtors and title companies to provide affordable housing to low-income families. Zero-interest deferred loans are made which are due and payable upon the sale of the property. Assistance may be for down payment, closing costs, weatherization/energy efficiency improvements, correction of code violations, security measures and other repairs necessary to bring the property into compliance with the Local Housing Standards. Funding may also be used for new Infill Construction programs and to make units physically accessible. A portion of the funds will be used for homeownership training classes, a requirement of the program. Assistance is available in the City's Redevelopment Incentives Area and the Local Investment Area.

Neighborhood Cleanup

A program to provide dumpsters and/or other collection disposal equipment that will be placed in specific neighborhoods within the Local Investment Area to collect debris during a one-day cleanup for hauling to the landfill.

The Residential Historic Loan Program provides loans for rehabilitation of homes listed or eligible to be listed in the National Register or State or local inventory of historic places in the 1919 City Limits.

The City is very much aware of its fixed income residents in everything it does. That is a major reason why the City has been committed to holding down property taxes. And electric rates in Wichita are more than 17% less today than they were in 1995 when the City began advocating to the Kansas Corporation Commission that electric rates in Wichita needed to be lowered.

The Sedgwick County Department on Aging was established in 1980 to serve older citizens of the county and advocate to preserve their independence and improve their quality of life. Sedgwick County has a dedicated countywide property tax levy of one mill for elderly services. In addition, the Sedgwick County Department on Aging receives federal Older American Act grant funds. Sedgwick County Department on Aging is responsible for planning, managing and evaluating programs and services for the elderly. It is the agency designated to administer federal, state and local funds allocated to provide programs and services which assure that older adults are able to access the rights and benefits they need and deserve.

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