(haipo) – The Up 60+ Center, the space for growth, creation and renewal for older Haifa residents established in 2022, is now in danger of closing, due to the municipality's decision to completely stop funding it. Participants feel disappointed and fear that they will lose the place that served as a home and incubator for them as entrepreneurs where they worked on establishing 60+ ventures.
In a reality where life expectancy is increasing and retirement processes are changing, the main challenge for senior citizens is maintaining a high quality of life, meaning, and social activity. A major initiative, "Up 60+," is designed to address these needs. Starting in 2022, Haifa residents will also benefit from the services of the unique center.
This is a joint initiative of Eshel Joint Israel, the Ministry of Social Equality and the local government, which is designed to accompany senior citizens through the various stages of retirement and provide them with tools for integration into the public sphere, building financial and personal resilience, and accessing tailored services. The program is open to senior citizens aged 60 and over, and to those approaching retirement or up to five years after it. The centers provide solutions in the areas of economy, health and personal meaning, while focusing on an active and meaningful life.
Continuing the legacy of social innovation
The Up 60+ Center in Haifa, which opened three years ago, is a natural continuation of the 60+ Entrepreneurship Space, which was established in the city in 2014 in collaboration with Migdal, Zion 2000, and the Haifa Municipality. This space, the first of its kind in Israel, acted as an intergenerational “incubator” for entrepreneurship and social leadership, helping senior citizens reach their potential in the areas of creativity, influence, and renewal – both for themselves and for the community.
A vibrant and inspiring community
The center, which is now facing the threat of closure, has until now acted as a significant focal point for Haifa's senior citizens, providing them with the opportunity to integrate into a vibrant, vibrant and diverse community. Each and every one of them has gained the feeling that they can dare, dream, take initiative and realize personal, social and economic aspirations. Through a wide range of activities, unique programs and personalized pathways, the center has enabled senior citizens to experience their new period of life as an adventure of learning, creation and growth.
The Retirement Junction – An Opportunity for a New Beginning
The transition to retirement brings with it many challenges, but it can also be a rare opportunity for growth and development. The Up 60+ Center provides tools, guidance and support to make this stage of life one that will bring meaning and inspiration. Through the center, a community has developed in Haifa that operates in social and innovative spaces for the elderly, connecting generations, ideas and initiatives.
One of the participants in the project sadly told the following:
"This is not just another ordinary community center, but a Haifa gem that was established with great effort and was designed to provide senior citizens with tools, knowledge, and the opportunity to contribute to the city and society. The center, which was established at the initiative of the Joint Organization and was given as a gift to the Haifa Municipality, served as a home and incubator for entrepreneurs and ventures of people aged 60+, and over the years, quite a few social projects and startups in their early stages have benefited from its services."
"Although it operated on a meager budget and with the help of dedicated volunteers, the center is now facing closure, following the municipality's decision to stop funding it completely. It is a shame that the municipality did not find room in its heart to allocate a modest sum to such a significant project, whose contribution to the community is irreplaceable."
Haifa Municipality has not yet given a response.
This is who you chose, so why complain?
You had 15 years of damage from it and you didn't learn a lesson.
As a long-time resident of Haifa, I have never heard of the project from anyone.
We go after the weak. Happy and blessed Shabbat.
Interesting, millions were poured in during the holidays….Some proportion is needed.
Shame on the municipality……..they prey on the weak
I'm really sad to hear that the 60+ Entrepreneurship Center is about to close!
The place was a home for senior citizens who wanted to continue active and meaningful lives.
The Haifa Municipality simply neglected us senior citizens and thereby "declared" that we were not of interest to it because we were a burden on it.
Too bad!
A regular participant in the project "This must not happen" - a truly warm home for the community
We stop social projects, but the work plan is to pour 10 million shekels down the drain on the "Port of Lights," an unnecessary project to put a few spotlights on the Port of Haifa that will create a light pollution hazard and not bring a single tourist, but there is someone close to the mayor who is constantly pushing, pushing, pushing for the unnecessary project that will force his friend to spend millions of shekels in a rigged tender.
Do you understand?!
They don't have meager budgets for welfare, culture, and community, but they have millions for this spotlight nonsense.