How it all began:

The Warren Senior Community Center was started in 1982 by the South Haven Housing Commission.  It occupied the lower level of the River Terrace Senior Apartment building, which is HUD subsidized.  The Senior Center was named after Robert N. Warren, a South Haven City Council and Housing Commission member who worked extensively for senior housing in South Haven.

In February of 1995, the Warren Senior Center program was turned over to the newly created South Haven Area Senior Services, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization, serving the City of South Haven and the townships of Geneva, South Haven, and Casco.  South Haven Area Senior Services is located at 220 Broadway, and the Warren Senior Center is at 540 Williams Street, both in the same building with different entrances. Senior Services has other satellite locations throughout its service area.

South Haven Area Senior Services went before the voters in August of 1998 and received a 1/4 mill millage from the 3 townships and the City of South Haven.   In 2002, South Haven Area Senior Services expanded services through millage funding to the City of Bangor and the Townships of Bangor, Arlington and Columbia. In 2006, Senior Services expanded the services to Covert Township when the voters approved a quarter mill tax millage to fund services to seniors.

In 2010, Senior Services received a federal grant to implement the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.  In 2010, with the help of the Planning Committee, Senior Services went before the voters in every township and City in Van Buren County and requested the millage be placed on the ballot in an expansion area that would cover the entire county and went for renewal in its existing areas.  Millages passed overwhelmingly in most locations and did pass in all locations. Senior Services changed its name in 2011 to Senior Services of Van Buren County and is unrolling an expansion of services through-out the county, more than doubling its service area.

Also in 2010, Senior Services developed its In-Home Care Program called “Hearts at Home” serving 4 clients with 2 employees. Today, we serve over 40 clients with 15 employees providing over 22,729 hours of care.  Our program provides personal care service and light housekeeping to seniors in need of assistance at an affordable rate. 

Senior Services opened the Paw Paw Senior Center in 2011.  It was located at the Paw Paw United Methodist Church and averaged 15 seniors in attendance. The Senior Center was moved to the Lions Club in March of 2012 and boasts nearly 90 people participating in activities daily and an average of 40 for lunch at the NuHeart Café. The Café offers two to three choices of food each day at reasonable prices. It has become a fantastic place for seniors to come together and enjoy life, great food and great programs. 

In late Fall 2012, Senior Services opened the Hartford Senior Center located at the United Methodist Church in Hartford starting 2 days per week.  In the spring of 2013 Senior Services expanded the Hartford Senior Center to 3 days per week due to continual increased participation from Hartford Area Seniors.  Today Senior Services averages 40 seniors per day enjoying lunch and activities at the Hartford Site.

In March of 2013, Senior Services relocated its South Haven Senior Center to the First Baptist Church facility on 76th Street in South Haven. With this relocation, Senior Services quadrupled its activity space, gained access to a large gymnasium and has the potential to have its own licensed kitchen here in the near future. Decorated, created and inspired by a group of volunteers called the Steering Committee, the Senior City on 76th Street became a fantastic place for seniors to come together and enjoy life, great food and great programs.  The Café on 76th Street offers daily meals and salad bar at reasonable prices and averages 40 people for lunch each day and over 130 people daily for programs and services.

Praise and thanks to the Planning Committee and Friends for Seniors Committee who helped with the millage renewal campaign in 2014.  The Senior Services senior millage passed in all the townships in the county except one. 

Senior Services of Van Buren County has grown by leaps and bounds. Senior Services continues to offer a myriad of services for the frail elderly as well as the active seniors.  Our Senior Centers offer fitness programs, arts and crafts, book clubs, writing clubs, genealogy, knitting, quilting, health programs, pickleball, computer classes, meals, holiday events, educational programs and overall life enrichment programs.  Care Watch, our care management program, continues to offer individualized services to seniors to meet their specific needs and puts services in place to keep them in their homes and safe.  Senior Services offers Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program counseling, help with Part D Prescription Drug Program and other benefit forms assistance.  We offer rides to medical appointments, build ramps, do minor home repairs and distribute medical emergency cards. We provide tax assistance; distribute commodities, sponsor food trucks, offer day trips and extended excursions.  We offer support groups such as the Visually Impaired Support Group and the Alzheimer's Support Group. Senior Services has the Retired Senior and Volunteer Program…RSVP, a federally funded program that provides volunteer opportunities to persons 55 years of age and over.  We have over 300 volunteers that assist us with services or are placed at other non-profits in the county.  RSVP volunteers donated 36,842 hour of service this past year worth $867,998.

In 2018, we presented two millages to the townships and cities. One for the .25 renewal and one for a.25 increase.  Areas that now pay .50 include:

Arlington, Bangor City, Bloomingdale. Columbia, Decatur, Geneva, Gobles, Hartford City, Paw Paw Twp., Paw Paw Village, Porter, South Haven City, South Haven Twp and Waverly Twp.  Those areas that only passed the renewal for .25 include Almena, Hamilton, Lawrence, Lawton, Pine Grove.

Our new annual income from Millage dollars alone is, 

Senior Services keeps the Heart in Service.  Annually Senior Services helps over 5,000 different older persons each year. Senior Services is here for the long haul.  We firmly believe in our mission to provide services, opportunities and caring support for VBC seniors to enhance their quality of life. The Staff and the Board of Senior Services remain dedicated to the cause!