Sunrise Center has been a fixture in East Dayton since it opened in 1974 as a pilot project to test decentralized social services. Center staff counseled citizens on issues such as emergency utility bill payments.
Not all six staffers will lose jobs, Petersen said, but it’s still unclear how many will be retained.
Sunrise Center’s $600,000 annual budget was funded primarily through state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, the Human Services Levy and grants.
The county will end services at Sunrise Tuesday, July 19, Petersen said. In 2010, the center helped 1,503 clients and 861 received assistance.
Clients will continue to receive some services at East End Community Services at (937)259-1898 or through the United Way’s Helplink reachable by dialing 211.
Sunrise Center also houses other services. The building will remain open for the federal WIC - Women, Infants & Children -health and nutrition program, Dayton Circles, Family Services, Project REACH and DABC - Dayton Area Baseball Commission.
More cuts are expected in the next several months “in an effort to right-size the county budget in light of declining human services and state revenues,” Petersen said.
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