MEDIA: City Council strikes affordable housing zoning deal with de Blasio

Maria Isabel Housing in the Bronx WIKIPEDIA

By: Stephon Johnson
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Publication & Publisher: Amsterdam News

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio achieved a major victory this week when the New York City Council approved his housing re-zoning plan.

“I am immensely proud of our partnership with Speaker Mark-Viverito and the City Council, and I commend them for their hard work throughout this process,” said de Blasio in a statement. “They have pushed every day to reach as many New Yorkers as possible and to protect our neighborhoods. We look forward to seeing these vital reforms enacted in the days ahead. New York City is now on the verge of implementing the strongest, most progressive affordable housing policies in the nation. Years from now, we will look back on this as a watershed moment when we turned the tide to keep our city a place for everyone.”

De Blasio’s plan underwent a few revisions and was the source of several debates among legislators. Under the current Council-approved plan, the city would require builders to include below-market rate apartment units in new buildings if they want to construct in areas that are rezoned for residential growth or simply building higher (known as mandatory inclusionary housing). It’s the first time something like this requirement would be applied. The Council-approved plan would also give builders the option to set aside below-market rate apartment units for households with salaries averaging 60 percent of the area’s income at the low end or an averaging 80 percent of the area’s median income.

Even with this plan, there were still some issues. What types of households would be eligible for the new units? As part of the agreement, the top inclusionary housing level for developers was lowered from 120 percent of the area median income to 115 percent. That change came with requirement that a portion of the units created in the developments would be set aside for those earning less. Affordability levels were expanded to 40 percent as a result of these talks.

Twenty to 30 percent of all units built in these new developments would be set aside for affordable housing.

“Our work has resulted in a plan that addresses the magnitude of our city’s affordability crisis by encouraging smart, sustainable affordable housing production,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito during a news conference at City Hall.

In an emailed statement, LiveOn NY Executive Director Igal Jellinek said that the debate over this housing plan opened the door to the “deep and often invisible need of 200,000 older family members, friends and neighbors living in desperate conditions.”

“LiveOn NY looks forward to working with government partners to ensure that new affordable senior housing will exist in every neighborhood throughout the city,” said Jellinek. “Ultimately, it will be the 200,000 seniors on waiting lists and waves of New Yorkers aging in their communities who will be the judge of how well we as a city did to get it right.” LiveOn NY is an organization that represents older New Yorkers and their caregivers.

MEDIA: City Council and Mayor Reach Deal on Key Housing Plan Components

By: Brigid Bergin and Jessica Gould
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Publication & Publisher: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820

There have been months of rowdy protests, marathon hearings and heated negotiations. But City Council and the de Blasio administration have reached a deal on two key pieces of the mayor’s affordable housing plan. The two plans are called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing and Zoning for Quality and Affordability. Mayor de Blasio says they’re key to achieving his goal of building and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade. 

The Plans:

Mandatory Inclusionary Housing means that developers will be required to build affordable apartments in rezoned areas. This is a change from the current policy, where building affordable housing has been voluntary and which, critics say, hasn’t led to enough affordable apartments.

The other component is Zoning for Quality and Affordability, which will rewrite parts of the zoning code to make it easier to build housing, especially affordable housing and senior housing. To do that, the code will allow taller buildings in some areas, and reduce some parking requirements, among other things.

What Changed: 

The mayor’s mandatory housing proposal had three options for affordable apartments. Developers would have to set aside 25 percent of units for a family of three making about $46,000 a year, 30 percent for a family of three making $62,000 a year, or 30 percent for a family of three making $93,000 a year.

But council members and tenant activists argued that many New Yorkers earn much less than that. As a result, they warned current residents in some rezoned neighborhoods would not be able to afford the new apartments, and might get displaced because of gentrification spurred by all the development. The council pushed for lower-income thresholds, including a new option that would set aside 20 percent of units for families of three making about $31,000 a year.

On Zoning for Quality and Affordability, council members responded to concerns from communities about increased heights and reduced parking, tweaking the proposal to limit height increases and preserve some parking.

The administration also committed to legislation that would require landlords to prove they aren't harassing tenants. And it promised activists it would look at ways to build even more affordable apartments, with labor protections for workers.

What People Are Saying:

Mayor de Blasio called the deal a "watershed moment when we turned the tide to keep our city a place for everyone." Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said the "intense process" produced "substantial changes from what was originally proposed."

And some of the housing advocates who expressed concerns about the plans say they're pleased with the final results. "Because of the efforts of Council members and housing groups we will now be able to an extra half a million low income New Yorkers previously not covered by the plans," said Barika Williams, with the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. She said advocates will continue to push for even more affordable housing for lower-income New Yorkers.

But Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group, said she worries the revised plans are too proscriptive. "What you're doing is narrowing the possibility for design, financing, and affordability," she said. "If the options get too narrow, you send up precluding development on many sites and reducing the number of affordable units."

What's Next:

The city council is expected to hold a hearing on March 17. A full vote is expected on March 22.

ALERT: LiveOn NY Launches Case Management Salary Parity Campaign

Printable Verison for this Alert note: acrobat format
Case Management Waitlist and Turnover Chart note: acrobat format
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Sign on to Letter Supporting Salary Parity for Case Management Campaign!

LiveOn NY LAUNCHES CASE MANAGEMENT SALARY PARITY CAMPAIGN

March 14, 2016 

$12.2 MILLION WOULD STRUCTURALLY CHANGE THE CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BY RETAINING MSW LEVEL STAFF FOR CASE MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS – IT’S TIME TO STOP THE DEVASTATING TURNOVER RATES – CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS!

IMPORTANCE OF SALARY PARITY –

• IMPACT ON STAFF RETENTION RATES – Every year there is an average of one-third turnover rate. Every two years, there’s a 50% turnover rate.
• IMPACT ON SALARIES – There is a $20,000 difference for case managers and a $17,000 difference for supervisors, even with other social services nonprofits. We are advocating for $55,000 for case managers and $65,000 for supervisors. THE STATUS QUO IS UNSUSTAINABLE LEAVING THOUSANDS OF OLDER NEW YORKERS ISOLATED AND IN DESPERATE NEED FOR SERVICES. NYC can and must act responsibly to solve this.
• IMPACT ON SERVICE DELIVERY – Lack of professionally trained MSW staff impacts capacity of service delivery to frail, homebound seniors.
• IMPACT ON LONG WAITING LISTS – High turnover rates impact lengthy waiting lists as new case managers cannot take on a full caseload right away plus staff vacancy time.  Click here to see the 2016 Case Management Waitlist chart.
• IMPACT ON A PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AGING SERVICES WORKFORCE – Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the city’s population. A trained, professional workforce is essential to delivering services and reducing waiting lists.
• IMPACT ON STAFF TURNOVER – Salary disparity does not allow case management agencies to hire and retain MSW level staff for both case managers and supervisors.
• IMPACT ON SERVING RAPIDLY GROWING, DIVERSE SENIOR POPULATION AND SUPPORTING FAMILY CAREGIVERS – The substantial salary disparity, leaves NYC unprepared for the rapidly growing older adult population. Lack of case management does not support family caregivers working hard to care for their older parents, spouse and others.

WHAT YOU CAN DO –

• IT IS UP TO MAYOR de BLASIO TO ALLOCATE $12.2 MILLION – Funding for salary parity can only come from Mayor de Blasio and his administration. The money must be baselined in order to remain permanent in case manager and supervisor staff lines.
• CITY COUNCIL’S ROLE – City Councilmembers can advocate for Mayor de Blasio to fund salary parity during budget negotiations by making it a priority of City Council.
• WHO TO TALK TO – Talk to everyone – Mayor de Blasio and others in his administration; City Councilmembers and Borough Presidents; media and local press; social media and anyone else you can think of who could help.
• INVOLVE AGENCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS, STAFF, SENIORS, FAMILIES AND OTHERS – See who knows Mayor de Blasio and others in his administration, City Council, and other city leadership or media.
• PLAN ON ATTENDING LiveOn NY'S 21ST ANNUAL CITY ADVOCACY DAY ON WEDNESDAY MAY 11 FROM 9:00AM-1:00PM AT 250 BROADWAY AND CITY HALL.  LiveOn NY will be following up with you with more details.

LiveOn NY Will Send More Information Soon!

It is critical that you start discussing this issue with everyone you can!

For more information, please contact Bobbie Sackman, LiveOn NY, Director of Public Policy,

212-398-6565x226 or bsackman@liveon-ny.org or Andrea Cianfrani, Dep. Director of Public Policy,X233 or acianfrani@liveon-ny.org

MEDIA: Seniors Wait Years for Affordable Housing

By: Jessica Gould
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Publication & Publisher: WNYC 93.9 FM and AM 820

Indira Prasad is just trying to find some peace. She says that's why she volunteers as a yoga teacher at Selfhelp's Innovative Senior Center in Queens, which she calls a refuge from the "dark, dank basement" where she lives. Prasad pays $508 in rent for her apartment, making it one of the few places she can afford from the $776 in income she receives from Social Security each month. But now her landlady wants to sell the house, and Prasad has to move. She's on waiting lists for public housing and subsidized senior housing, but there haven't been any openings, and she doesn't know where she'll end up.

"The waiting game is taking a toll on me," she said. 

Bobbie Sackman with the senior advocacy group LiveOn NY says this is the reality for a lot of city residents: People who struggled to get by when they worked are struggling that much more now. Sackman says one in five New York City seniors are living in poverty, and more than 100,000 pay over 50 percent of their income in rent.

"Decisions have to be made from the viewpoint of somebody who’s 70 or 80," she said. "What is their relationship with time, the time they have or the time they probably don’t have." 

Sackman's group projects there are 200,000 seniors spending an average of seven years onwait lists for affordable housing. It also found that many parking lots next to senior housing are almost totally empty. Her group says simply building more units on those parking lots would accommodate thousands of seniors. 

Mayor de Blasio says a key piece of his affordable housing plan — called Zoning for Quality and Affordability — seeks to address this problem. In order to build more apartments, the plan would make parking optional at senior housing and at other new affordable housing projects near mass transit. For senior housing that isn't as close to mass transit, the parking requirements would be reduced.

It would also allow taller buildings, permitting one or two additional stories in areas scattered throughout the city, including parts of the East Village, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Williamsburg.

The mayor says this is crucial to achieving his goal of building and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing, including 10,000 specifically for seniors. 

Many senior advocates, including the AARP, have lined up behind the plan. But there are critics. 

Local leaders like City Council Member Donovan Richards are worried about what reducing parking would mean for their constituents.

"We have some of the longest travel times to Manhattan so many Queens residents actually use their cars," he said. 

Meanwhile, preservationists say taller buildings threaten the character of carefully planned communities, and they doubt whether the added heights will actually result in more affordable units.

"We’ve seen this play out in New York City before: You end up making neighborhoods less affordable not more and you end up destroying their character," said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.

Tenant activists worry new affordable apartments won’t be affordable enough. 

"We are concerned about how the plan will actually get to the people who need it the most," said Maritza Silva-Farrell, coordinator for the Real Affordability for All Coalition. 

Community boards and borough presidents have overwhelmingly opposed the plan. And council members are calling for changes. 

"There’s a huge need for more senior housing in the city." Richards said. "And the biggest task is to ensure that we’re doing it in a responsible fashion."

As for Prasad, she supports the mayor's proposal. She hopes it will get her off the waiting list and into a nice, new, affordable apartment. "And I can finally have a sigh of relief and I can sleep and relax," she said. 

The council is scheduled to vote on Zoning for Quality and Affordability as well as the mayor's major proposal, called Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, this month.

TESTIMONY: FY17 LiveOn NY Aging Budget

FY17 LiveOn NY Aging Budget Budget Priorities Chart note: acrobat format
Salary Parity Sheet note: acrobat format
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New York City Council

FY17 Aging Committee Budget Hearing

Council Member Margaret Chin, Chair

March 4, 2016

Testimony of Bobbie Sackman, Director of Public Policy, LiveOn NY

LiveOn NY and its members across the city are dedicated to making New York a better place to age. Founded in 1979, with a membership base of more than 100 organizations ranging from individual community‐based centers to large multi‐service organizations, LiveOn NY is recognized as a leader in aging.  LiveOn NY’s membership serves over 300,000 older New Yorkers annually and is comprised of organizations providing an array of community based services including elder abuse prevention and victims’ services, case management for homebound seniors, multi‐service senior centers, congregate and home‐delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, caregiver support services, mental health, transportation, NORCs and other services intended to support older New Yorkers.  LiveOn NY connects resources, advocates for positive change, and builds, supports and fosters innovation. Our goal is to help all New Yorkers age with confidence, grace and vitality.  LiveOn NY also advocates for meaningful policy that promotes livable communities and allows older adults to safely age in place.

LiveOn NY thanks Council Margaret Chin, Chair, Committee on Aging, and Council Member Paul Vallone, Chair, Subcommittee on Senior Centers for their leadership.

 LiveOn NY appreciates the opportunity to testify today.  Please see our FY17 attached budget priorities totaling $34.3 million for Department for the Aging (DFTA) funded services.  Each of these programs included is a critical piece of the continuum of services needed to allow older adults to remain in their homes and communities and to also support family caregivers. LiveOn NY documented that over 200,000 older New Yorkers are waiting an average of 7 years for an affordable apartment. It is many of these same seniors that are waiting for social services to support them in the community as they age.

 LiveOn NY is grateful for City Council’s FY16 allocation of additional funding last year including case management, home care, elder abuse, NORCs, adult day services, 6th congregate meals, senior center rent and transportation.  

LiveOn NY also appreciates the de Blasio Administration’s allocation of $1.4 million funding for mental health services in senior centers in the FY16 budget and $1.8 million in the FY17 preliminary budget for friendly visiting services as part of ThriveNYC. However, to date, it is our understanding, none of $1.4 million allocated in FY16 for senior centers has been spent. LiveOn NY welcomes the discussion of how to continue to address the mental health needs of older New Yorkers by including older adults in parts of the ThriveNYC plan where they aren’t currently targeted.

 LiveOn NY also applauds the de Blasio Administration for baselining $2.8 million for elder abuse services and for the first time, funding the Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDT) model at $1.5 million.

That being said, there is still a rising unmet need for community based services for older New Yorkers.  The Preliminary Budget added little new funding to the Department for the Aging’s budget.  A large amount of funding was not baselined, and funding was not included for case management, home care, congregate and

 home-delivered meal costs, adult day services and other core programs. This will lead to waiting lists for some services.

LiveOn NY’s FAIR SHARE BUDGET CAMPAIGN – City funding for aging services does not reflect a fair share based on the rapidly growing older adult population, supports needed to allow them to age well in their homes and communities, and support for family caregivers. According to Webster, the definition of “progressive” is change, improvement or reform as opposed to maintaining things as they are on a political level, and on the community level, progressing towards better conditions for its residents. Given waiting lists for services and chronically underfunded services and salaries, it is clear that the city’s aging policy has work to do to be more progressive on behalf of older New Yorkers.

The $34.3 million budget priorities for FY17 reflect community supports for all older New Yorkers addressing:

• Senior nutrition/anti-hunger programs
• Affordable senior housing supports
• Economic security - access to benefits
• Elder abuse
• Social isolation
• Supporting family caregivers
• Culturally competent neighborhood based services

FY17 budget priorities

• Case Management - $3 million (new money) – It is troubling that the Mayor’s preliminary budget did not baseline case management and home care funds. Without baselining, it is difficult to hire case management staff. This leads to higher waiting lists and huge staff turnover. Additional funding is needed to ensure that caseloads don’t go higher than 65. Funding is also needed to serve frail, homebound seniors on waiting lists so that a social worker is available to visit them at home, assess their needs and provide ongoing services. MSW compensation level needs to be funded to ensure there is a professionally trained social worker who can work with immigrant and diverse populations and complex situations. Funding should allow agencies to hire supervisors, who both oversee hundreds of cases and carry a partial caseload.  Funding growing need and agency infrastructure are cornerstones to strengthening the case management system citywide.   To that end, LiveOn NY would also like to move forward a campaign on securing compensation parity for the Case Management system.  Please see attached sheet for more details.
• Per meal reimbursement – $3.3 million –would add 25 cents more per meal plus additional funds for kosher home-delivered meals.
• NORCS - $4 million – Thank you for funding NORCs at $2.5 million for NORCs to fund NORC programs that weren’t able to apply for DFTA’s RFP, plus some additional neighborhood NORCs.  Please fund $4.0 million to maintain and grow existing NORCs.
• Elder Abuse Victims Assistance - $3.0 million – Last year, both City Council and the Administration recognized the hidden crisis of elder abuse by allocating funding. City Council continued funding for pilot programs to four organizations that work with domestic violence in immigrant communities. This funding should be renewed to allow these services and the new pilot to continue. Through the DFTA RFP, the administration added $2 million for elder abuse victims assistance, which was baselined. Four organizations were awarded 3-year contracts that began July 1, 2015.
•  Adult Day Services - $2.3 million – Given the demographics of who is aging in NYC, calling for a system of universal adult day care through the neighborhoods of NYC is good public policy. Seniors with Alzheimer’s/dementia or other disabilities would benefit from being in a safe and therapeutic environment during the day. This would allow adult daughters, sons and spouses to remain in the workforce and take care of other parts of their life. While $2.3 million wouldn’t fund a universal system, it would at least get us back to where we were 7-8 years ago. Imagine how far behind the city is. Funding subsidizes the older adults to be able to attend the program on a regular basis. Original funding was at $2.3 million. We appreciate that City Council allocated $950,000, but this money was not baselined. $2.3 million would allow social adult day care to come back to its original funding level and meet growing need.  Access to affordable elder care is the workforce issue of the 21st century, especially for women.
• 6th weekend congregate meal - $600,000 – Thank you to City Council for the funding in FY16 to reinstate this program which was eliminated under the former administration.  Senior centers across the city have opted in to provide one additional takeaway meal on Fridays for the weekend.  Please continue this funding.
• Senior center rent (space) - $1.1 million – This funding is for senior centers paying more than 20% of their budget in rent. Please continue this funding.
• Transportation - $2 million – We are asking for $2 million to bring transportation up to the original $4million level.
• Innovative Senior Centers in Immigrant Communities - $2 million – There are currently 16 funded Innovative Senior Centers (ISCs) citywide serving a variety of communities. About 25% of them operate in communities with heavy immigrant populations. The remainder serve immigrants, but the participants are not predominantly immigrants.  The original ISC proposal developed by LiveOn NY included targeting underserved populations such as immigrants.
• Caregiver supports and respite - $3 million – Establish city funding to support caregivers. Access to affordable elder care and support for caregivers are the workforce issues, especially for women, of the 21st century. Caregivers statewide provide $32 billion of free care to loved ones. Workplace flexibility and caregiver supports go hand in hand. We need to end “secret caregiving” where thousands of women have to juggle work and caregiving responsibilities.
• ESL/Citizenship Classes at senior centers - $1 million – Re-establish the ESL/Citizenship program eliminated in 2003.  Learning in English allows elderly immigrants to engage in their local community and receive services. It brings them out of isolation and into a peer community. This could also include cultural competency training.
• Social workers in senior centers and Section 202/affordable senior buildings - $9 million – Senior centers and senior buildings are on the frontlines of serving thousands of elderly immigrants and other diverse populations citywide. Developing broad access to social work services will help older adults receive benefits, address grief and counseling issues, social isolation, crisis intervention and other issues that is culturally competent. MSW compensation level needs to be funded to ensure there is a professionally trained social worker who can work with immigrant and diverse populations. $8 million could fund half of the neighborhood senior centers. $1 million would fund social workers/service coordinators in Section 202 buildings/affordable senior buildings to pilot the efficacy of having service coordinators. An evaluation would be included to document the cost savings to the city that senior housing with services would bring. In order to hire and retain social workers, these funds must be baselined. This would support Mayor de Blasio’s affordable housing plan by including supportive services as seniors age in place. Mayor de Blasio announced he would provide 10,000 affordable senior housing apartments. LiveOn NY’s waiting list survey has documented over 200,000 low income seniors waiting an average of 7 years for an apartment.

 For more detailed information, please see the following attachments:

• Budget Priorities Chart
• Case Management Waitlist Chart
• Compensation Parity for Case Managers Funding through NYC Department for the Aging document
• Affordable Senior Housing Waitlist Information

 LiveOn NY looks forward to working with City Council and the administration to ensure that older New Yorkers can remain in their homes and communities through a network of support services designed to meet the needs of a diverse and rapidly growing older adult population. Please contact Bobbie Sackman, Director of Public Policy, 212-398-6565 x226, bsackman@liveon-ny.org or Andrea Cianfrani, Deputy Director of Public Policy, x233, acianfrani@liveon-ny.org for further information.