Bureau of Community and Support Services

The Community and Support Services Bureau consists of the three units listed below. Click on the unit’s name for information about each unit.

  • Contract Management and Technical Assistance
  • Caregiver Support
  • Nutrition

The Bureau’s functions include most non-Medicaid community-based programs and oversight functions to help elders remain in their own homes and avoid institutional care.

Contract Management and Technical Assistance

This team assists eleven (11) Area Agencies on Aging and other contracting organizations in implementing programs and services at the regional and local levels. This team provides contract management and technical support for organizations to help implement in-home and community-based services funded through federal or state General Revenue dollars. Programs, services, and funding sources include the following:

  • Older Americans Act (OAA)
    Services funded through Florida’s federal OAA allotment include adult daycare, caregiver training and support, chore, congregate dining, home-delivered meals, homemaker services, information and referral assistance, medical transportation, nutrition education, personal care, and shopping assistance. Read more about this program.
  • Home Care for the Elderly (HCE)
    This program utilizes state funds to provide a subsidy to caregivers to help them maintain low-income elders in their own home or in the home of a caregiver. A monthly stipend OR basic subsidy payment is made for support and health maintenance and to assist with food, housing, clothing, and medical care. A special subsidy is available to help with specialized health care needs. Read more about this program.
  • Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program (EHEAP)
    This federally funded program provides limited financial assistance for low-income households with at least one person age 60 or older, during a home energy emergency. Read more about this program.

Caregiver Support

This unit provides caregiver support services through federally and state-funded programs

  • Respite for Elders Living in Everyday Families (RELIEF)
    The RELIEF Program offers in-home respite that is an expansion of respite currently available through other programs, including evening and weekend respite. The purpose of this service is to increase the ability of a family unit to continue to care for a homebound elderly individual by providing in-home respite beyond the basic provisions of current public programs. Read more about this program.
  • Americorps
    AmeriCorps is a network of national service programs that engage members and community volunteers in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public health, and the environment. Programs rely on a multigenerational corps of AmeriCorps Members who receive a living allowance and commit to one year of service in exchange for an education award and health insurance benefits. Read more about this program.

Nutrition

This unit provides technical assistance to help OAA nutrition providers and USDA program providers to deliver quality services. In addition to the state’s Congregate and Home Delivered Meals program, the unit administers the following federally funded programs:

  • Adult Care Food Program
    This program assists eligible Adult Care Centers and Mental Health Day Centers in providing meals to elders. Read more about this program.
  • Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program
    This program improves the nutritional health of low-income elders by providing coupons that can be redeemed for locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables at approved farmers’ markets. Read more about this program.
  • Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP)
    This program reimburses Area Agencies on Aging and service providers for the costs of congregate and home-delivered meals. Read more about this program.
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
    This program is formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. Read more about this program.

Click here to view the Nutrition Program Home Page.