By ROBERT LINNEHAN | The Cherry Hill Sun
Senior citizens will have a dedicated phone line and several new enhancements to the senior services offered to residents in the township beginning in the next few months.
Mayor Bernie Platt announced that the 13,000 senior citizens in Cherry Hill would have a dedicated phone number and e-mail address that they can call or write to with questions or comments about anything they need help with.
Last week, Platt revealed that the phone line would be available to callers in early March. Residents who call 661–4800 or e-mail Seniors@CHTownship.com will be connected directly to a town hall staff member who can provide more information about senior-targeted classes and events; Gold Card discounts; the Cherry Hill sewer discount and senior-specific tax deductions; the Handy Helper program; the township’s senior bus service; and social clubs open to residents 55 and over.
“I am happy to share with our community some exciting initiatives in the pipeline at Town Hall that will greatly enhance the services currently offered to Cherry Hill’s senior citizen population,” Platt said.
The dedicated phone line for senior citizen services will offer information and news about specialized programs and events for Cherry Hill senior citizens. The service will help cut down on the red tape that senior citizens may have to go through for answers to their questions, he said.
“This line will enable operators to answer questions from senior citizens and allow them to get around the bureaucracy of county and state,” Platt said in a previous interview “We have 13,000 seniors in town, and they need help. “
Additionally, the recreation staff is developing a complete senior services reference guide that will include a list of available Gold Card discounts, as well as up-to-date information on available programming, Platt said.
The phone line and e-mail address is the first of its kind in Cherry Hill, Platt said. It’s important to support a population in the township that is an important part of the township community, he said.
“At 13,000 strong, Cherry Hill’s senior population is a dynamic, important segment of our community; but until now, there was no central hub where our seniors could find information on programming and much-needed resources available specifically for them,” Platt said. “I am proud to see these ideas come to fruition in the form of a valuable resource that will soon be available to assist our community’s longest-standing members.”
