LiveOn NY Applauds Governor Hochul Commitment to Older New Yorkers in Her First State of the State Address
January 7, 2022 (New York, NY) – This Wednesday, Governor Hochul held her first State of the State address, articulating policy and budgetary priorities for the coming session including aging related commitments to support all New Yorkers as we age. LiveOn NY applauds Governor Hochul commitments outlined in the agenda, which serve as significant markers of what's likely to come on the state level this year.
"LiveOn NY thanks Governor Hochul for her commitment to support all older New Yorkers as well as direct providers, organizations and agencies who provide critical services that allow older adults to age in community," stated Allison Nickerson, Executive Director of LiveOn NY. "We look forward to working with the Governor and her counterparts in the Legislature to enact these key pieces of her agenda and to continue to push forward in making New York a better place to age."
Most notable aging related commitments include:
Establish a State Master Plan for Aging, "creating a blueprint of strategies to ensure that older New Yorkers can live fulfilling lives, in good health, with the freedom and independence to age in place for as long as possible."
A $10 Billion Investment in Healthcare and Support Wages for Workers, this multi-year investment includes a $500 million investment in Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) to help raise wages for human services workers and $2.2 billion on initiatives to strengthen our home healthcare workforce.
A $25 billion, five-year Housing Plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes in both urban and rural communities, including 10,000 supportive housing units. Notably, this also includes a $300 million investment in the construction and preservation of affordable senior housing, a pathway to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and create the Eviction Prevention Legal Assistance Program.
Advance health equity by supporting nursing home conversions to the Green House model, studying the impacts of COVID on the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and expanding the current programming of the State Office for the Aging to more New Yorkers.
Read the 2022 State of the State for additional information.
Press Contact:
Katelyn Andrews, Director of Public Policy, kandrews@liveon-ny.org
Brianna Paden-Williams, Communications and Policy Associate, bpaden-williams@liveon-ny.org
About LiveOn NY
LiveOn NY’s members provide the core, community-based services that allow older adults to thrive in their communities. With a base of more than 100 community-based organizations serving at least 300,000 older New Yorkers annually. Our members provide services ranging from senior centers, congregate and home-delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, elder abuse prevention services, caregiver supports, case management, transportation, and NORCs. LiveOn NY advocates for increased funding for these vital services to improve both the solvency of the system and the overall capacity of community-based service providers.
LiveOn NY also administers a citywide outreach program and staffs a hotline that educates, screens and helps with benefit enrollment including SNAP, SCRIE and others, and also administers the Rights and Information for Senior Empowerment (RISE) program to bring critical information directly to seniors on important topics to help them age well in their communities.