Councilmember Susan Zhuang Join Hundreds Of Older New Yorkers To Demand $2.3B Aging Investment In City Budget
Older adults make up 20% of New York City's population, yet programs that support New Yorkers as they age will receive less than 0.5% of the city budget
(New York, N.Y.) — The Age Strong New York Campaign, a coalition of older adult advocates including LiveOn NY, Encore Community Services, HANAC, AARP New York, and others, rallied with Councilmember Susan Zhuang and hundreds of New Yorkers at City Hall Park on Wednesday morning to call for the investments that older New Yorkers need to Age Strong in the communities they helped build.
Older adults and family caregivers were largely absent from the Mayor’s Executive Budget, despite older adults poverty surging by nearly 50 percent in the past ten years. Demand for affordable senior housing continues to rise sharply while production remains nearly flat. At the same time, nearly 4 million family caregivers across New York are struggling to support aging loved ones while juggling work and rising living costs.
"New York City's older adults built this city; they deserve to age in it with dignity. The affordability crisis is not abstract for older New Yorkers, it means skipping meals, losing housing, and facing their final years in isolation. As Chair of the Aging Committee, I am standing with advocates to send a clear message. We must prioritize the needs of New York’s 1.7 million older adults.” said Council Aging Chair Susan Zhuang.
Advocates highlighted the Age Strong NY policy agenda, which calls for $2.3 billion in investments to support older New Yorkers, including:
$500 million for nutrition and wellness programs, including expanded home-delivered meals, meals at Older Adult Centers, and outreach to ensure eligible older adults receive SNAP benefits.
$800 million in community support, including funding for Older Adult Center infrastructure, mental health services, and programs that drastically reduce the growing crisis of older adult social isolation.
$1 billion in affordable housing investments to expand senior housing development through the SARA program to address the senior housing and homelessness crisis, preserve crumbling HUD 202 buildings, and continue to freeze the rent for older New Yorkers in need through the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) program.
Advocates also called for targeted investments to strengthen programs older New Yorkers rely on every day, including $30 million to ensure home-delivered meals are available seven days a week, $60 million to increase congregate meal funding, and $10 million to expand Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) programs in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
Older New Yorkers deserve to age with dignity in the communities they helped build,” said Council Member Shahana Hanif. “Across Brooklyn, older adults are facing rising rents, food insecurity, and growing isolation while critical services are stretched thin by increasing demand. Programs like older adult centers, home-delivered meals, supportive housing, and SCRIE are lifelines that keep seniors connected, healthy, and housed. I’m proud to stand with LiveOn NY and advocates across the city in fighting for the investments needed to build an Age Strong New York.”
“New York City is aging faster than ever, and this budget isn’t keeping up,” said Allison Nickerson, Executive Director of LiveOn NY. “Despite claims of increased funding, this budget contains cuts, and hardly acknowledges older adults. At a time when more than 550,000 people remain on waitlists for affordable senior housing, senior housing production and preservation is not keeping pace. We're,. calling for $2.3 billion to fully fund aging services in New York City, including affordable housing, community services and supports and nutrition.”
“Older New Yorkers make up 20 percent of this city, yet the Department for the Aging receives less than half of one percent of the budget,” said Beth Finkel, State Director of AARP New York. “Budgets reflect priorities, and right now older New Yorkers are not being prioritized. At a time when poverty among older adults is rising and the need for services is growing, New York City must invest in the housing, nutrition, and community services that allow older adults to age with dignity in the neighborhoods they helped build.”
“Encore Community Services is proud to stand with LiveOn NY and the Age Strong NY coalition to call for a city budget that meets the real needs of older New Yorkers,” said Jeremy Kaplan, CEO, Encore Community Services. “Across our city, older adults are facing an affordability crisis that threatens their ability to remain housed, healthy, nourished, and connected to community. We urge the City to invest in the full continuum of services older adults need, including home-delivered and congregate meals, case management and Older Adult Centers. At Encore, we know that when New York invests in older adults, it invests in stronger neighborhoods, healthier families, and a more affordable city for all.”
Advocates urged City leaders to ensure that the budget reflects the needs of New York City’s growing older adult population and strengthens the services that allow residents to age with dignity, independence, and stability in their communities.
About LiveOn NY
LiveOn NY is a policy and advocacy membership organization representing more than 100 community-based organizations serving over 300,000 older New Yorkers per year. Our members allow all of us to age in dignity, providing 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 help ensure that . For more information, please visit our website, https://www.liveon-ny.org/
