News & Press Releases Featuring LiveOn NY

At LiveOn NY, we work hard to make sure that the public hears about the issues affecting older New Yorkers, as well as the incredible momentum that exists as we grow old. To this aim, we are proud of each and every time we are able to share this narrative with our local communities or to comment on a topic effecting older New Yorkers.

Below are a few articles & press releases including our work: 

January 16, 2019 “De Blasio Administration Financed More Than 34,000 Affordable Homes in 2018 – A New Record” press release from NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development

“LiveOn NY is appreciative of the monumental effort that goes into every unit of affordable housing and we are heartened by the impact that these homes will have, particularly on the lives of New York’s older adults.”

— Allison Nickerson, Executive Director

December 6, 2018 “The Housing Crisis Continues for NYC Seniors” article by Maitefa Angaza in Our Time Press

November 27, 2018 "From Rent Regs to Rezonings, 2019 Will Feature Key Housing Policy Fights" article by Sadef Ali Kully in City Limits

November 19, 2018 “Mayor de Blasio Announces Donna Corrado Stepping Down as DFTA Commissioner” press release from the Office of Mayor de Blasio

November 16, 2018 “New York City nonprofits had a big day at the City Council” article by Zach Williams in New York Nonprofit Media

November 13, 2018 “New Coalition of Affordable Housing Industry Leaders, Tenant Advocates and Labor Calls for Crucial Reforms to State Rent Laws” press release from Enterprise Community Partners

November 8, 2018 “NYC approves its first CCRC” article from Advanced Senior Care, also reported in Crain’s New York and the Jewish Voice

We look forward to continuing to weigh in on aging issues throughout New York City, for upcoming press inquiries, please reach out to Katelyn Hosey at khosey@liveon-ny.org or 212-398-6565 x. 244

LiveOn NY Joins Call for Rent Regulation Reforms

LiveOn NY is proud to join a diverse Coalition of advocates to call for reforms to strengthen New York’s rent regulation laws, set to expire this June.

Organizations in the Coalition include: Enterprise Community Partners, New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH), The Legal Aid Society, New York Housing Conference, Community Service Society of New York, Housing Rights Initiative, Coalition for the Homeless, LISC NYC, Supportive Housing Network of New York, and LiveOn NY

The Coalition is calling on state leaders to enact the following reforms to New York’s rent laws during the 2019 legislative session:

End High-Rent Vacancy Decontrol
This pathway toward deregulation, which has only been a feature of rent regulation since 1994, has encouraged the use of both lawful and unlawful means to increase rents past the deregulation threshold of $2,733 per month. These means frequently entail harassment and fraud and have resulted in displacement of long-term tenants from their homes. This year, the rent laws must be restored to their original promise by ending deregulation.

Restore Preferential Rent Protection
The State should return the rent laws to their pre-2003 form and no longer permit landlords to revoke a preferential rent upon lease renewal. Tenants with preferential rents must no longer fear the loss of their homes due to rent increases beyond those allowed under Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) rules.

Reform the Vacancy Allowance, Major Capital Improvements (MCI), and Individual Apartment Improvements (IAI)
The State should reform the provisions governing the Vacancy Allowance and Major Capital Improvement and Individual Apartment Improvement increases in a way that reduces excessive rent hikes but ensures that owners can provide safe and decent housing. Taken together, these provisions produce an exponential impact on regulated rents, creating significant financial incentives for tenant turnover, resulting in displacement. 

NYCHA 2017 Physical Needs Assessment

New York City Council
Joint Hearing
Committee on Public Housing and the Subcommittee on Capital Budget
Oversight: NYCHA’s 2017 Physical Needs Assessment
November 15, 2018

LiveOn NY would like to first and foremost thank Chairs Ampry-Samuel and Gibson for holding today’s hearing on NYCHA’s 2017 Physical Needs Assessment.

In New York City, NYCHA and the HUD Section 202 program represent two of the greatest suppliers of affordable housing for low-income seniors. Currently, 38% of NYCHA households are headed by an individual age 62 and over, and an estimated 7,700 units are designated specifically for older adults. Like the rest of the city’s affordable housing options, public housing has seemingly endless demand to fill, with over 200,000 families on waiting lists for a NYCHA apartment. This incredible need for housing, juxtaposed to dwindling supply of available land and a glaring lack of federal resources makes NYCHA one of New York City’s most precious of resources. Unfortunately, however, the current state of NYCHA’s housing is widely known to be dilapidated, unsafe, and lacking the dignity that should be afforded to any New Yorker. Through the physical needs assessment these conditions have been enumerated by the finding of an astounding $32-billion-dollar capital backlog.

Much emphasis has been accurately placed on the need to improve the living conditions in units within NYCHA developments, an emphasis that LiveOn NY wholly supports. In addition to this, it is important to note that the community facilities located within NYCHA have not been immune to the incredible capital backlog that exists. A recent Wall Street Journal article shed light to the fact that an estimated $500 million in capital funding is needed for these community spaces, which include Senior Centers, child care centers, and other critical programs that support the wellbeing of NYCHAs residents and its surrounding community members.

These programs are on the front lines of supporting tenants and should be seen as a resource in relaying critical information around NYCHA repairs, as well as updates related to NYCHA NextGen to communities. Clear and consistent communication from NYCHA to providers is critical to enabling nonprofits to best fulfill this role.

LiveOn NY is here today with our colleagues from the Day Care Council of New York (DCCNY) and United Neighborhood Houses (UNH) to recommend reforms—including re-directing fines, improved inter-agency cooperation and a streamlined process for repair approval— that would provide relief to the community-based organizations operating these centers without adding stress to NYCHA’s financial situation.

Collectively, LiveOn NY, UNH, and DCCNY represent a majority of the nonprofit human service providers operating the NYCHA community spaces requiring vital repairs. LiveOn NY specifically represents more than 90 senior service organizations, many of which run the almost 100 senior centers operating in a NYCHA facility. While located in NYCHA, these programs contract with the City’s human service agencies, including the Department for the Aging (DFTA), the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), Department of Education (DOE), and Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). Unfortunately, given the capital backlog, many of these spaces have fallen into disrepair, forcing providers to spend exorbitant energy on finding ways to remain open and safe despite the walls quite literally crumbling around them – this is energy that could otherwise be spent providing life-sustaining services to the community. Adding salt to the wound, the providers are often subject to an onslaught of fines and violations from the City’s well-intentioned regulatory agencies, including the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY).

Given the funding constraints faced by non-profit service providers and their leasing agent, NYCHA, providers are put in an incredibly difficult position as a result of these fines. Beyond these funding concerns, NYCHA’s approval processes leaves providers waiting weeks, months or even years before being able to move forward with critical repairs for which capital funds have been made available – whether through City Council or other sources.

Acknowledging the difficult financial position of NYCHA, we at respectfully submit the following process-oriented recommendations, each having the potential to improve the day-to-day business and viability of providers operating within NYCHA – without adding additional stress to NYCHA’s current financial situation:

• Re-direct Fines – Nonprofit human service providers, who lack site control and rely on NYCHA to make repairs, should not be subject to citations and fines from DOHMH or FDNY due to NYCHA’s failure to make those repairs. When violations are found during inspections, and if these violations have already been reported to NYCHA by the provider, the provider should not be penalized;

• Mandate Inter-Agency Cooperation – NYCHA and the agencies that leverage their space, including ACS, DFTA, DYCD, and DOE, need a clear division of responsibilities for the maintenance and upkeep of NYCHA sites. In order to provide stability to providers, this division of responsibility, once established and agreed upon, should be standardized as appropriate across all agencies that fund providers operating out of NYCHA properties; and

• Design an Approval Process for Repairs – NYCHA must work internally and with providers to accelerate approval for repairs and renovations and must expedite processes with the residential repair division when floods, leaks, or other issues originate in apartments and require a two-pronged repair to fully address.

We appreciate your consideration of the above recommendations.

Finally, LiveOn NY seeks to remain a resource to the city as it works through how best to house, serve, and support its older NYCHA tenants. To this aim, we look forward to continuing to work with City Council and the administration to make New York, and NYCHA, a better place to age.

Testimony: NYS Assembly Committee on Housing Hearing on Affordable Housing

New York State Assembly
Assembly Standing Committee on Housing
December 14, 2017
Oversight of the State Fiscal Year 2017-2018 State Budget for New York State Homes & Community Renewal

Thank you to Chairperson Assemblyman Cymbrowitz and to the Assembly Committee on Housing for the opportunity to testify today.

LiveOn NY would like to first and foremost thank Governor Cuomo and the entire legislature for the investment made last fiscal year of new affordable housing capital funding. More specifically, we thank the state for the creation of the first capital funding stream for affordable senior housing, allocating $125 million over the next 5 years.

This investment in new affordable senior housing is critical due to the dire need throughout the state. In 2016, LiveOn NY conducted a survey, entitled “Through the Roof” which found that an estimated 200,000 seniors are on wait lists for housing through the HUD202 program in New York City. The lack of affordable housing can have adverse effects on a senior’s health as it forces one to make the difficult choice between skipping meals, going without medications, or avoiding needed healthcare in order to afford rent.

LiveOn NY is hopeful that the critical investments made last fiscal year will help to combat the current housing crisis for seniors and New Yorkers of all ages. Beyond these capital investments, LiveOn NY urges investments to be made in the upcoming fiscal year to fully support seniors by providing service coordinators in both newly constructed and existing senior residences.

Service coordinators in senior housing residences are proven to reduce health care costs. In fact, LiveOn NY’s member Selfhelp Community Services just released a study of the residents in Selfhelp’s senior affordable housing program.  They study compared Medicaid data for residents in their housing in two zip codes and compared it to other seniors living in the same zip codes over two years.

The crucial research found that the seniors living in Selfhelp’s affordable housing had much more positive outcomes including:

68% lower odds of being hospitalized

$1,778 average Medicaid payment per person, per hospitalization for Selfhelp residents, versus $5,715 for the comparison group

53% lower odds of visiting an emergency room compared to a non-Selfhelp resident

In addition, a 2016 study of residents in affordable housing in Oregon showed that Medicaid costs declined by 16% just one year after seniors moved into affordable housing communities. Results also showed that primary care visits increased by 20%, while emergency room visits decreased by 18% and that properties with on-site health services produced the largest decrease in emergency room visits. A 2014 evaluation of the SASH program in Vermont revealed that growth in the annual total Medicare expenditures of program participants was lower by an estimated $1,756-$2,197 per person when compared to the growth of total Medicare expenditures in comparison groups.

In order to truly make New York the first Age Friendly state in the nation, investments in these proven cost-effective service coordinators must be made. LiveOn NY urges a new dedicated funding stream for services in existing and new affordable senior housing buildings. These services can help residents in remaining healthy and independent, supporting the overwhelming desire for seniors to age in place in their homes.  This new program would be a strong pillar of the Governor Cuomo’s Health Across All Policies Initiative. 

LiveOn NY thanks Assemblyman Cymbrowitz and the Standing Committee on Housing for holding today’s hearing and we look forward to working together in the upcoming fiscal year.

LiveOn NY’s members provide community-based services that allow older adults to thrive in their communities. With a base of more than 100 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, transportation, NORCs and NY Connects.  LiveOn NY members also develop, operate, and provide services for affordable senior housing building throughout New York City. 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 that targets seniors in communities where benefits are most underutilized.  This program helps to educate thousands of older adults, including those who are homebound, about food assistance options, as well as to screen and enroll those who are eligible for SNAP and SCRIE/DRIE.

LiveOn NY is also proud to administer the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program for the entire state. A grant project funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), this program is aimed at preventing Medicare fraud. SMP is modeled around recruiting and actively engaging senior volunteers to promote peer counseling, education, and assistance. This provides seniors opportunities to not only educate themselves on Medicare issues, but also to get involved and give back to their community. SMPs educate Medicare beneficiaries on how to protect, detect, and report Medicare fraud, through this, SMPs are able to empower beneficiaries to reduce healthcare costs caused by errors, abuse, and fraud.

LiveOn NY Study: New York’s Affordable Housing Crisis for Seniors Persists

Wait Time Upwards of 10.3 years; Minimum of 19,700 Seniors Languish on Affordable Housing Waitlists on the Upper West Side

Study Conducted in Manhattan Community Districts 7 and 9 — UWS Likely Indicative of City at Large

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Andrea Cianfrani, Dir. of Public Policy, 212-398-6565x233, acianfrani@liveon-ny.org

New York, NY — The number of seniors on wait lists for affordable housing in New York continues to rise as the city gets older, according to a white paper released today by LiveOn NY, an advocacy and policy organization for New York’s community-based aging service providers.   

Highlights from the study: 

• 19,700 seniors are currently on waiting lists in Community Districts 7 and 9 on the Upper West Side. With an overall response rate of 44%, it is estimated that an astounding 44,028 seniors are on waiting lists for affordable housing through the HUD202 program in this neighborhood alone.

• Of the seven affordable housing developments which responded to the study, only three were currently accepting additions to their waitlists

• With an average wait time of 10.6 years, a senior who signs up for affordable housing at the moment of eligibility—62 years old—will wait on average until he or she is 72.6 for affordable housing.

“This study is proof of something we’ve known for a long time—New York City must continue to expand the stock of affordable senior housing with services, which allow seniors to age in the communities they have helped to build,” said Allison Nickerson, Executive Director of LiveOn NY. “As New York gets older, it is crucial that we direct resources to developing new affordable housing and ensuring that seniors can age with dignity and respect. Our communities must rally around organizations and elected officials who fight to make New York a better, safer city to age in place.” 

Approximately 45 affordable units become vacant in the neighborhood each year.  With over 19,700 seniors waiting to receive them, the odds of receiving affordable housing have become increasingly bleak. However, the white paper notes that the disparity in affordable housing access would almost certainly be even wider without the work of local and city officials to close the gap—including mayor Bill de Blasio’s efforts to construct or preserve 15,000 units of affordable senior housing as a component of the city’s overall housing plan, and Council Members Mark Levine and Vanessa Gibson’s initiative to ensure that low income tenants have access to a civil lawyer when facing eviction. 

Though the study takes place in Community Districts 7 and 9, the organization believes that the findings are indicative of the city at large, where over 200,000 seniors are on waitlists for affordable housing, according to an earlier study.

“Too many of the most vulnerable New Yorkers – especially seniors – are currently facing a staggering affordability crisis in our city,” said New York City Council Member Mark Levine. “New Yorkers have the right to affordable housing, which is why I’m so proud that just this August -- with the invaluable help of advocates like LiveOn NY -- we were able to pass my legislation creating a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction, which will protect tens of thousands for seniors from being unfairly evicted from their homes. However, this report makes it clear there is still much more to do. I look forward to continuing to work with LiveOn NY, and my colleagues such as Council Member Margaret Chin, to make sure the City is doing everything in its power to help the 200,000 seniors currently waiting for affordable housing.”
 
"This study provides more evidence of a growing crisis that demands tough decisions by elected officials called to represent all of our communities -- not just a privileged few lucky enough to have housing that is safe, accessible and affordable," said Councilwoman Margaret Chin, chair of the City Council's Committee on Aging. "One of the highest callings of the progressive movement is the commitment to caring for the most vulnerable among us. In our drive to be a more fair, equitable and just city, we cannot overlook the growing number of seniors who are still waiting for housing. We have a solemn obligation to these seniors who have contributed, and continue to contribute, so much to the life of one of the greatest cities in the world. It's my hope that this study will be a wake up call for us all that we may never forget this solemn obligation to our elders." 

"Thank you to LiveOn NY for shedding light on the extent of the housing crisis in New York City and how it disproportionately affects our seniors. It is unacceptable that as many as 44,000 seniors are currently on waiting lists for affordable housing in Community Districts 7 and 9 on the Upper West Side. My office has assisted hundreds of seniors in danger of losing their homes, which many have lived in for most of their lives, because of soaring property values and the rising cost of living overall. We must protect residents who have been the bedrock of our neighborhoods that we call home. I hope this white paper becomes a galvanizing step toward comprehensive citywide solutions that give our seniors the support they need at the moment they need it most,” said Council Member Helen Rosenthal.

“The numbers tell the story – we need to build much more affordable senior housing,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Stable, multigenerational neighborhoods are one of the cornerstones of a healthy city – we need our seniors, and they need us. Thank you to LiveOnNY for this report and the call to action it provides.”

As the baby boomer generation ages, the city population is skewing older.  New York City’s senior population is expected to grow by 47% by 2030, with a growing percentage of seniors preferring to age in place, surrounded by the social networks and supports they have cultivated over a lifetime rather than making the often costly move to a nursing home.  These factors will combine to ensure that demand for affordable senior housing continues to grow dramatically citywide.   

The study, conducted on the Upper West Side, is part of a larger series on affordable housing that the organization has released over the past few years. In 2016, LiveOn found that 2,000 seniors were on wait lists for affordable housing in nearby Council Districts 6 and 7—with a response rate of 37%, the organization estimated that upwards of 5,406 could actually have been waiting for a spot. The average wait for affordable housing last year was seven years.