Current Advocacy Opportunities
May is Older Americans Month. Use your voice to speak out for aging services!
3rd Week of May:
Federal: Now is the time to reach out to Congress on the above. Please click here to find out who your rep is and click here to see the list of NY Delegation members contact info. Talking points include:
The Medicaid cuts proposed recently say that we value tax cuts for the wealthy over health care for older Americans who rely on Medicaid to supplement Medicare. You need to fight to prevent any of these cuts to ensure we don't pull healthcare from almost 7 million New Yorkers.
Medicaid, SNAP and Aging programs cannot be used to pay for tax cuts for higher income people at the expense of lower income people; there are ways to make these programs more efficient but blanket cuts and work requirements will only hurt New Yorkers.
Say no to any budget that would cut these essential programs!
City:
NYC Budget Petition! LiveOn is initiating a petition for the AgeStrong NYC campaign, urging Mayor Adams to allocate $622 million to support services for the aging services in the FY26 Budget. The focus will be on renovating older adult centers, enhancing case management services, and boosting the food budget. Click here to access instructions, digital petition and print resources. Please complete by May 21st!
Sign on to Protect Aging Services: Association on Aging in NY Sign-On Letter to protect aging programs.
LiveOn NY Citywide Aging Advocacy Day: Join us for a rally at City Hall on Wednesday, June 11th at 11:00am as we call on the city to equitably fund aging services. We had over 500 people last year; let’s surpass that number this year so we can show the power of aging services and older people!
2nd Week of May:
NYC PETITIONS: Join the AgeStrong NYC movement to fund aging services! Click here to sign or access printable documents.
Send all signed petitions back to LiveOn NY (ablair@liveon-ny.org) by 5/21.
1st Week of May:
Call Your Representatives:
Tuesday, 5/6: Call the Assembly. Click here to find your rep. Call the switchboard at this number: (518) 455-4218
Wednesday, 5/7: Call the Senate: Click here to find your rep. Call the switchboard at this number: 518-455-2800
Thursday, 5/8: Call the Governor’s Office. Call this number: 518-474-8390
Talking points:
“Harming aging services will inflict irreparable damage to my community.”
“We need to make sure older New Yorkers can access services like home-delivered meals, case management, and help at home.”
“I want to know that New York State will step up if the federal government fails us.”
Sign on to Protect Aging Services: Association on Aging in NY Sign-On Letter to protect aging programs.
Tell Sen. Gillibrand about Social Security Issues: Senator Gillibrand, as Ranking Member on the Aging Committee, has opened a portal for New Yorkers to send their stories on Social Security. Submit on this Portal: Social Security: Share Your Story | Senate Committee On Aging.
PAST ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES
FY25 City Budget Advocacy
Between now and June 30th, Mayor Adams and the New York City Council will be negotiating to finalize the City's FY25 budget. It's so important that we continue to raise our voices so that as decisions are being made, aging services remain top of mind for our elected officials.
Below are two ways that you and your organization can continue to advocate in the next several weeks:
Call your Council Member: Organize a phone bank day for everyone at your organization to speak to your local council member to let them know how important it is to fight for our network in this year's budget. Click here for a phone script, and let us know how it goes!
Visit your Council Member in their District Office: We encourage you, your staff, and your program participants to drop by your local council member's district office to get to know their staff and advocate for our network! You can use this link to find the address and hours for your local district office and people can drop in any time during their working hours. Please print out the below resources to bring with you and leave with the office staff.
Budget Needs One Pager: Explains what our network needs in additional funds
Budget Cuts One Pager: Explains the proposed cuts and their impact
District Demographics: Information about aging in your district. Click the link below to find and download a one pager of your own district’s stats.
Citywide Participatory Budget 2023-2024: Voting
LiveOn NY is excited to be working with NYC's Civic Engagement Commission (CEC) again this year for the Citywide Participatory Budget initiative to ensure older New Yorkers make their voices heard in this process. (Click here to read more about the 2022-2023 results.)
From May 1st through June 12th, 2024, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to vote on how to spend part of the City budget to address community needs.
The CEC has made it easier for New Yorkers to vote online, with borough ballots in multiple languages. Join us in this year's PB process! We encourage you to get creative: this could be by setting up voting stations in your center's computer lab or on iPads after lunch; whatever works best for your program.
Let's demonstrate the power of older New Yorkers! Here's how to vote online:
Go to on.nyc.gov/pb
Select your preferred language
Enter your zip code
When asked for your Partner Code, enter LIVEON
Vote for as many projects as you like!
City and State Focused Advocacy Opportunity
Learn more about, and join the Just Pay Campaign, led by the Human Services Council, working to end government-sanctioned poverty wages for human services workers.
State Advocacy Opportunity
Learn more about, and join the Fair Pay for Home Care Campaign, led by the New York Caring Majority, which seeks to “create jobs for New Yorkers, support seniors, people with disabilities & caregivers, and rebuild our economy by paying home care workers a just wage.”
Sign your organization on, here, in support of the Fair Pay for Home Care legislation (S5374/A6329)
Past Advocacy Wins
LiveOn NY’s Fiscal Year 2023 City Budget wins, following the #EquityforAging and #JustPay Campaigns, are covered here.
Our Fiscal Year 2022 State Letter Writing Campaign resulted in more than 400 letters being sent to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature, with budget wins covered here. We also saw significant State legislative victories, covered here.
Our Fiscal Year 2020 City Letter Writing Campaign resulted in more than 17,000 letters being sent to New York’s elected officials, including Mayor de Blasio, Speaker Corey Johnson, and the rest of City Council! Our collective work to make New York a #FairCity4AllAges resulted in significant wins for senior services. Read coverage: