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Spring 2022
FEATURE
SourcePoint Leaders Reflect on 30 Years Under normal circumstances, Bob Horrocks and Fara Waugh would have been sitting in the SourcePoint board room commemorating two anniversaries—the 30th anniversary of the organization and the 15th anniversary in its facility on Cheshire Road in Delaware. But the masks and appropriate social distancing at the time of the interview were indicative of a third anniversary— two years of the COVID pandemic, which has proven to be an ongoing challenge while simultaneously showing the resilience of SourcePoint’s staff and volunteers.
formed that incorporated these community concerns into a blueprint for an organization designed to meet current and evolving needs. SourcePoint emerged in 1992 to fill this void. Bob Horrocks: I wasn’t around at the very beginning when a broad range of people from the community came together out of the concern that something better was needed for local seniors. But I was very grateful for the opportunity to dream, to plan, and to grow what has become a system of high-quality and coordinated service throughout Delaware County—and the envy of other counties throughout Ohio.
Horrocks, SourcePoint’s founding executive director who retired in 2019, and Waugh, the current chief executive officer who came to SourcePoint in 1995 as its first social worker, looked back on the milestones of SourcePoint’s first 30 years while reflecting on a once-in-a-lifetime health crisis.
While we had very humble beginnings—no office, no phone, and very little money—with the support of our community over the years, Delaware County has gone from worst to first in quality in-home and community-based services.
THE EARLY DAYS
By 1994, SourcePoint’s staff and board had spent countless hours listening to the community. After many meetings and forums with community leaders, older adults and their families, service providers, elected officials, and others, a consensus developed around a plan of action. This plan depended upon community support of a local property tax levy, which would be devoted to services for local seniors. In the fall of 1994, SourcePoint’s first 0.5-mill levy passed by 58% of the vote.
A group of concerned citizens, service providers, older adults, and elected officials came together in 1991 to discuss the needs of the growing older population in Delaware County. At the time, while a variety of services were available within the county, the capacity of local service providers was limited, and large waiting lists were the norm. The “system” could not respond quickly or efficiently to individual needs for service. As a result, when experiencing difficulties living at home, many local older adults found that nursing home placement was their most viable option. As the community examined these issues, it became clear that action was needed to increase both the amount and quality of community-based care. A local coordinated system was needed to improve the accessibility to services in a timely manner for those who were most in need. A task force was
Founding Executive Director Bob Horrocks.
1994: FIRST AGING SERVICES LEVY
State law requires that senior services levies last no more than five years, so SourcePoint went back to voters in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018. The current senior services levy of 1.2 mills was approved by 72% of voters and this funding will expire at the end of 2023.
Bob Horrocks and volunteers supporting the first levy. MySourcePoint.org
