LiveOn NY Testimony on COVID and Seniors

We’re proud to testify to the New York City Council to ensure that the strengths, as well as the needs, of older adults are consistently heard and prioritized by New York’s elected officials. Below is testimony submitted by LiveOn NY to the New York City Council Committees on Aging and Technology.

To learn more about upcoming New York City Council hearings: click here. To register to testify: click here. To watch live and past hearings: view here!

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New York City Council
Committee on Health: Chair, Council Member Levine
Committee on Aging: Chair, Council Member Chin
Committee on Technology: Chair, Council Member Holden
February 17, 2021
Oversight - COVID-19 and Seniors: Addressing Equity, Access to the Vaccine, and Scheduling Vaccination Appointments Online in NYC

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on COVID and Seniors: Protecting Older Adults in the Community.

LiveOn NY’s members include more than 100 community-based nonprofits that provide core services which allow New Yorkers to thrive in our communities as we age, including senior centers, home‐delivered meals, affordable senior housing, elder abuse prevention, caregiver supports, NORCs and case management. With our members, we work to make New York a better place to age.

The COVID-19 pandemic has swept across New York, creating a rippling effect exposing the current political, economic, and social gaps that impact older New Yorkers. These must be confronted both as we continue to respond to the pandemic, but in undertaking the COVID-19 mass vaccination effort.

Vaccine Recommendations

Today, we have the opportunity to bring this life-saving vaccine to thousands of older adults and slow down the pandemic in its tracks. Yet despite eligibility for older people 65 and over, we continue to see the gaps and inequities as access to the vaccine remains nearly impossible for many, particularly for people of color who have shouldered the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The time is now to commit to older New Yorkers and remove the barriers that have pushed out communities. Unfortunately, LiveOn NY and our members have seen the hurdles older adults have experienced to simply get a shot, and distribution has also revealed the racial inequities that already plague communities of color. As it stands, Black and brown residents, who represent 22% of the City’s population, have only received 9% of the vaccines.

Given these realities, there is much work to be done. We do, however, want to take a moment to thank all those who are working tirelessly to ensure older adults can get vaccinated. Specifically, we thank the Vaccine Command Center for their continuous effort to coordinate the vaccine distribution across the City and we applaud the recent launch of the homebound seniors initiative to ensure older adults who are unable to travel to vaccine sites have the opportunity to receive the shot. 

To ensure a more equitable distribution of the vaccine moving forward, LiveOn NY recommends the City:

• Work in coordination with community-based organizations that are often sources of trust to marginalized populations to promote access to the vaccine,  and can provide the necessary information to ensure no one is left behind. 

• Move away from an over-reliance on technology, including removing the requirement for each vaccine appointment be made using a different email address, which prohibits professionals from assisting multiple seniors using the same account.

• Ensure information is available across languages

• Monitor and improve the vaccine registration process, including: phone wait times and the numerous web systems and pages each older adult must navigate

• Make clear vaccine eligibility of senior service professionals, including: home-delivered meal cooks and deliverers, service coordinators and maintenance workers in senior housing, home care attendants, and caregivers who are the unseen, underappreciated heroes throughout this pandemic. 

• Fully fund providers and professionals for their work.

Now is the time to create an efficient and equitable vaccination program that ensures no one is left behind and all older New Yorkers can safely age in their communities. 

COVID-19 Response Recommendations

Older New Yorkers who have stayed home for extended periods to remain safe from the virus, need a clear plan, guided by science, as to when it will be safe to reengage with the community services they know and love. Many spent the Summer, a period of low transmission risk, hoping their local Senior Center would one day open, not knowing if this would be the case, or why it would not be the case if restaurants, gyms, bars, and other services could resume operation. These individuals and the professionals that serve them deserve clarity, transparency, and the comfort of knowing their services are prioritized and guided by science as New York emerges from this crisis. 

Therefore, LiveOn NY recommends a plan be created jointly by the Department of Health and Mental Health (DOHMH) and the Department for the Aging (DFTA), and that such plan should:

• Be balanced against the fact that, in addition to the risk of COVID-19, the impacts of isolation also pose considerable risks to the older adult population.

• Be guided by the fact that the older adult population is not a monolith experiencing the risk of COVID-19 uniformly, but an age cohort spanning multiple decades of significant variations in overall health and risk level.

• Quantify the health indicators that will need to be met in order to resume in-person senior services, including services at Senior Centers and NORCs.

• Include clear guidance on metrics that must be met, or other rationale, indicating the ability to resume in-person services from a public health perspective. A sample metric could indicate a maximum threshold for the citywide infection rate, which once reached, would trigger the allowance of grab and go meal service to resume.

• Identify the order in which the resumption of in-person services can be phased in. For example, we have seen restaurants deemed safe enough to offer outdoor dining, followed by indoor dining at a specific capacity and with specific social distancing requirements as risk levels went down. Senior services require similar guidance.

  • Given the varying risks associated with each activity, the following components of a Senior Center should each be given individualized guidance: grab-and-go meal distribution, indoor dining, one-on-one case assistance with clients, outdoor programming (potentially at local parks as the weather changes), and indoor programming.

• Be posted on each agency's websites and shared with City Council, non-profit providers, older adults, and other stakeholders. 

• Be released as soon as is practicable, taking into account community input, including input of providers, upon drafting.

In addition to such a plan, providers must be fully reimbursed for cleaning and other costs incurred to ensure safety upon the resumption of each service.

We appreciate the consideration of the recommendations, and look forward to working with the City to reauthorize in-person Senior Services at an appropriate time.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

State Testimony at Joint Budget Hearing on Human Services

We’re proud to testify to the New York State legislature to ensure that the strengths, as well as the needs, of older adults are consistently heard and prioritized by New York’s elected officials. Below is testimony submitted by LiveOn NY at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2021 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic Human Services.

Support the budget asks included in the below testimony?
Call your Senate and Assembly representatives and echo the funding asks most meaningful to you.

State Assembly Representatives
State Assembly Representatives or Assembly Switchboard 518-455-4100.

State Senate Representatives
State Senate Representatives or Senate Switchboard 518-455-2800.

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New York State
Joint Legislative Budget Hearing 
Human Services
February 9, 2021

My name is Katelyn Andrews and I am the Director of Public Policy at LiveOn NY. Thank you to both the Senate and the Assembly for the opportunity to testify today.

LiveOn NY’s members include more than 100 non-profit community-based organizations that provide core services to older adults across the State. These programs include senior centers, home-delivered meals, affordable senior housing with services, elder abuse prevention services, caregiver supports, NORCs, case management, and homecare. Through policy efforts, LiveOn NY, with our members, advocates to make New York a better place to age.

LiveOn NY also administers a citywide benefits outreach program that assists thousands of older adults each year in communities where benefits, such as SNAP and SCRIE, are most underutilized. Additionally, thanks to the generous support of the legislature, LiveOn NY administers the Rights and Information for Senior Empowerment (RISE) program, an outreach program designed to support professionals serving older adults and offer direct assistance and information to older New Yorkers.

In all, we believe that aging creates momentum that drives our state forward, with older adults powering local economies, political systems, and communities. Older people are the anchors in our neighborhoods, providing invaluable volunteerism, caregiving, and civic engagement across the state.

Unfortunately, despite older New Yorkers being an asset to our state, they have not been invested in. Today, New York’s older adult population is greater than the total populations of 21 other states, yet it isn’t reflected in the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) budget. New York State’s older adult population is more than 1.6 million with the Executive Budget allocating NYSOFA only $271.6 million in aging funding, $3.12 million less than in Fiscal Year 2020-2021, amidst a global pandemic in which seniors have been hardest hit.

While the older adult population continues to be the fastest growing demographic, and despite seniors having been particularly vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, the programs that are built to serve older New Yorkers remain chronically underfunded, even more so than last year given the cuts and lack of accounting for inflation and increased demand. This pervasive underfunding of NYSOFA has real implications for our ability to keep older New Yorkers safe in communities through a global pandemic. Illustrative of this, is the existence of waiting lists for services that deter the need for higher levels of care, in settings that proved particularly vulnerable to the virus. This further represents a missed opportunity to find cost-savings that would otherwise be imposed at higher levels on our Medicaid and Medicare systems.

It is important to illustrate just why increased support for senior services is so critical to New York State’s ability to further assert itself as a bastion of progressive policy. There is a reason that one in seven older adults are living in poverty throughout New York State, time acts as a compounding factor to inequities experienced throughout the life course. For an older woman of color, decades of earning less per dollar than their male counterparts compounds to inadequate savings to make ends meet when she reaches old age. Evidence to this, today, 19% of African American seniors live in poverty. For an LGBTQ senior, closed doors due to discrimination in the workplace or in housing, compound fiscal insecurity throughout a lifetime. Today, one in five LGBT adults are living on less than $12,000 a year. For an older Chinese immigrant, linguistic isolation and a lack of access to benefits lead to limited resources in old age. Today, Chinese seniors in New York City have an estimated annual income of $7,000 a year, a number not vastly different from other older immigrant populations. For all seniors, of whom the average social security payment is only $1,470 a month, we as a state must do more to, at the very least, provide high quality services for all older New Yorkers to redress such vast inequities in old age.

These inequities were reflected in the impacts of COVID-19. Data from the CDC highlights this, with Black and brown Americans representing 30% of COVID cases, despite accounting for only 13% of the population. Black workers made up a significant portion of the frontline workers deemed essential throughout COVID-19, placing these individuals and their families at greater risk throughout the pandemic. Consequently, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID disproportionately affected people of color all over the country. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the ongoing racial inequities that were already prevalent.

To begin to address such inequities, the following represents LiveOn NY’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget recommendations:

Fund Services for the more than 11,500 Older Adults on Waiting Lists

Budget Ask: A significant investment towards the $27 million needed to fully address waiting lists

Currently, more than 11,500 older adults are on waiting lists for State Office for the Aging (SOFA) community based services, particularly waiting lists for home-delivered meals, case management, home care, and transportation that have arisen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Such services enable older adults in counties across New York to age safely and independently in their communities, avoiding unwanted moves to costlier institutional care settings. This is likely the tip of the iceberg in regards to demand across the state, as federal stimulus funds have helped keep larger waiting lists at bay, and the mere presence of a waiting list is often untenable for an older adult in need, forcing the individual to make the immediate decision to enter an institutional setting.

Given the exorbitant strain COVID-19 has placed on the older adult population, the prospect of adding further stress to the lives of older New Yorkers by forcing them to wait for critical services is untenable and must be redressed through a significant, immediate investment. For many older adults, it is only through the delivery of a daily hot meal, a visit from a home care attendant to assist with activities of daily living, or the support and referrals from a case manager, that one is able to live fully and safely in community. To delay a single older adult from getting such support—particularly during a global pandemic that has left older New Yorkers most at risk—is to deny them the opportunity to age with dignity and respect. We as a State must ensure that funds are available to address this waiting list, not only for the older adults in need, but for the non-profit community-based service professionals who so desperately wish to serve but lack the funds to do so.

Further, by investing in these supports, New York will not only be ensuring an improved quality of life to those in need, but will inevitably help balance the State’s budget by reducing Medicaid expenditures. Findings indicate that for every 1% increase in home-delivered meal service to the older adult population, there is a significant savings to Medicaid through the reduction of higher cost care. More specifically, findings indicate that in New York, savings from just a 1% increase in meal service would lead to $11,427,143 Medicaid savings—proving that waiting lists for such services actually cost more than the cost of the meal service itself.

Ensure Older New Yorkers and Professionals Have Access to Key Information

Budget Ask: Restore $200,000 in historically legislative funding for LiveOn NY’s “Rights and Information for Senior Empowerment” (RISE) program

The Governor’s Budget eliminated $200,000 in funding for LiveOn NY’s RISE program. This cut will put at risk our ability to ensure that older New Yorkers receive vital information regarding COVID resources, benefits and entitlement changes, scams, and ways to remain active and safe. The timing of this move is particularly distressing as COVID-19 has had a disproportionately deadly impact on older New Yorkers, who have also faced new and frequently daunting barriers when trying to access meals, groceries, medicine, support services, and now the COVID vaccine. Even prior to the pandemic, older adults have often struggled to receive basic, trustworthy information on how to get vital services, including benefits such as SNAP and SCRIE, which LiveOn’s RISE program works tirelessly to promote and make accessible for older adults.

At this critical juncture, LiveOn NY seeks a restoration of funding to bridge these gaping information holes through a multi-faceted approach. This approach will include:

• Providing citywide training and education for the senior service workforce (primarily through virtual techniques that LiveOn successfully implemented during the lockdown and beyond), so that they know about benefits, programs, and services, as well as how to best help their clients on such matters. 

• Serving as a “constituent services” partner with local elected officials’ offices to bring needed information to the community (e.g. through information for elected officials’ newsletters, webinars, and other communications efforts). 

• Provide updated, free, culturally competent information to seniors, including through digital methods (including LiveOn’s website, social media, and newsletters), as well as extensive engagements with a variety of media sources. 

Restore Funding to Combat Elder Abuse 

Budget Ask: Restore $340,000 in funding for Lifespan and the NYS Coalition on Elder Abuse

Lifespan is the convener of the New York State Coalition on Elder Abuse and works to provide training, public awareness, and direct social work intervention in all forms of mistreatment, with an emphasis on financial exploitation—the fastest growing form of abuse and often the most devastating for vulnerable older adults. New York State is a leader in the field because of the decades-long support in the State Budget.

The Governor’s Executive Budget proposal eliminated $340,000 in funding for Lifespan. These funds are critical for our overall ability to address elder abuse prevention & intervention throughout New York State. This service is particularly important during COVID-19 as the pandemic has led to: an increase in scams nationwide; the potential for increased proximity of perpetrator to victim due to more individuals “staying home;” and growing economic challenges nationwide that may increase a perpetrators willingness to commit financial abuse. 

More specifically, these funds provide services to combat elder abuse such as, case management, education and intervention, shelter for victims, respite for caregivers, statewide education and training, statewide multidisciplinary teams, forensic accounting in cases of financial exploitation, statewide financial exploitation consultation, and management of the New York State Coalition on Elder Abuse.

Increase funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

Budget Ask: Increase the program budget by $4.81 million

The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) is an advocate and resource for older adults and persons with disabilities who live in nursing homes, assisted living and other licensed residential facilities. The importance of this program was seen during the COVID-19 crisis. Throughout this pandemic, the LTCOP staff and volunteers have remained engaged with residents, families, and facilities to provide information and support to ensure that resident rights are protected but, without access, it was hard. Older adults in long-term care have proven the most vulnerable and the most at-risk. If fully supported, ombudspersons can act as advocates and sources of strength on behalf of increasingly distraught family members seeking information about their loved one. It is time to modernize and strengthen this critical program.

Today ombudspeople help residents understand and exercise their rights to good care in an environment that promotes and protects their dignity and quality of life. The program advocates for residents at both the individual and systems levels to address issues that have the potential to impact their health and wellness. Ombudspeople investigate and resolve complaints; promote the development of resident and family councils; and inform government agencies, providers and the public about issues and concerns that impact facility residents. Ombudsmen’s activities also greatly enhance the footprint of DOH facility surveillance activities by sharing resident concerns and quality of care issues observed during regular interactions with residents.

Support Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs)

Budget Ask: Restore $325,000 in historically legislative funding 

We are pleased that the Governor’s Executive Budget proposal includes $8.055 million in support for NORC programs, but unfortunately, it fails to include $325,000 that the Legislature added in FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021 to support nursing services in NORCs. Restoration of this funding is critical as it enables NORCs to provide key nursing services to older residents in need. During COVID-19 in particular, despite physical NORC spaces being closed, staff have continued to assist residents remotely throughout the pandemic, including through: frequent wellness calls to monitor health and safety and to reduce social isolation; case management services to assist older adults in accessing food, medical supplies, in-home healthcare, and more. NORC nurses are providing remote support over the phone, particularly focusing around COVID-19 concerns. In this remote environment, NORCs serve as essential services for older adults, helping them stay safe, healthy, and connected. 

Invest in Affordable Senior Housing & the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI)

Budget Ask: Commitment to a new $3 Billion investment over 5 outyears towards Affordable Housing Capital, including affordable senior housing and service coordination for older residents

LiveOn NY supports the Governor’s Executive Budget commitment to another year of supportive housing through a $250 million investment, as well as the commitment to extend low-income housing credits for five years. However, as we are now in the final year of New York State’s Five-Year Housing Plan yet the need is greater than ever. It is important for the state to signal a commitment to consistent, predictable funding to maintain a pipeline of production, including for critical senior and supportive housing projects.

Deepening investments in affordable senior housing with services is critical in future years, not only to improve the quality of life of older New Yorkers and address rising senior homelessness, but as a cost-savings measure against increased Medicaid and Medicare spending. Service coordinators in senior housing residences have proven to reduce health care costs, including reducing Medicaid expenditures. LiveOn NY’s member, Selfhelp Community Services, released a study of the residents in their senior affordable housing program. The study compared Medicaid data for residents in their housing in two zip codes to other seniors living in the same zip codes over two years. This research found that seniors living in Selfhelp’s affordable housing had demonstrably 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-resident

Additionally, 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. These examples demonstrably show that an investment in service coordinators makes good fiscal sense, while supporting older New Yorkers.

Invest in Technology for Older New Yorkers

Budget Ask: $5 Million in funding to invest in technology services for older adults

COVID-19 has shown the vast digital divide in the older population. The most vulnerable older residents have been without interaction for months, and having the ability to create and implement a robust virtual platform for our clients is paramount. There needs to be a substantial investment to purchase and implement technology to bridge the gap in social isolation and loneliness. Our network stands prepared to implement a variety of programs, including expanding virtual senior centers across the state, with an investment.

In Conclusion

In this difficult budget year, we are especially proud to recommend investments with proven cost-savings to Medicaid and health care more broadly, while remaining quality and mission-driven in approach. We appreciate the legislature's support of the above recommendations and look forward to seeing a budget that responds to the devastating impact COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on the older adult population. LiveOn NY stands ready to work with New York State to make New York a better place to age, and we appreciate all efforts by the State to provide equity, reduce wait lists, and improve quality of life for all older New Yorkers. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.

LiveOn NY Statement on the COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Across New York State

For Immediate Release

NEW YORK — February 2, 2021 — The time for bold commitment to New York’s older adults — particularly people of color who have shouldered the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic — is now. Older New Yorkers of color are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic with higher mortality rates and a growing need for critical services, exposing the racial disparities and inequalities that already plague communities of color. The vaccine distribution in New York continues to reveal the gaps as older New Yorkers of color are less likely to have access to the internet and technology and yet, we as a State, as a City, and in counties across New York, continue an over-reliance on the use of technology to distribute information and access to this life saving vaccine.

The lack of coordination with community-based organizations that are often sources of trust to marginalized populations, widen the gap in the vaccine distribution. Black and brown residents, who represent 22% of the City’s population, have only received 9% of the vaccines. While laudable steps have been taken to create hotlines or prop up vaccination in sites such as NYCHA, for too many older New Yorkers, the vaccine remains inaccessible, trapped behind a labyrinth of websites or behind hold-music with no end in sight.

To the extent that these experiences are the result of supply failures, we look now to the new Biden Administration to expedite production and ensure our vaccine supply chains are steady into the future.

To the extent that the decentralization of this system, the over-reliance on technological mechanisms for vaccine access, the lack of information across languages are the result of decisions made by our counties and our state, and the underutilization of community-based nonprofits to promote access, we call on each level of government to remove these barriers swiftly and fully, while deepening engagement with these community assets.

Vaccine accessibility by mobility must also be prioritized, and a plan for the vaccination of homebound older New Yorkers must be urgently developed and implemented.

We also call on the State and localities to make publicly clear that all professionals working with older adults are eligible for the vaccine. While nursing homes were appropriately prioritized in initial phases of vaccine distribution, it is time to fully acknowledge and appreciate that most older New Yorkers live in communities often with the support of caring human services professionals such as home-delivered meal cooks and deliverers, service coordinators and maintenance workers in senior housing, home care attendants, and caregivers who are the unseen, underappreciated heroes throughout this pandemic. To support these professionals, New York governments must not only make clear their eligibility for the vaccine, but must fully fund their work.

The time to rise to the challenge is now. With the appropriate guidance and partners, entire buildings of senior housing could swiftly and equitably vaccinate thousands of older New Yorkers at scale. There are trusted community nonprofits, armed with the right information and infrastructure, could dispel myths and ensure vaccination across the hardest to reach populations as well as hundreds of thousands of loved ones who, compelled by the efficiency of a government that moves to truly meet people where they are, will breathe a sigh of relief if we get this right.

LiveOn NY, and our members, stand at the ready to support New York in fulfilling an equitable, efficient, and expedient vaccination program.

 Press Contact

Brianna Paden-Williams, Communications and Policy Associate, bpaden-williams@liveon-ny.org 

About LiveOn NY

LiveOn NY’s members provide 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.

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LiveOn NY Testifies at Joint Aging and Technology Hearing

We’re proud to testify to the New York City Council to ensure that the strengths, as well as the needs, of older adults are consistently heard and prioritized by New York’s elected officials. Below is testimony submitted by LiveOn NY to the New York City Council Committees on Aging and Technology.

To learn more about upcoming New York City Council hearings: click here. To register to testify: click here. To watch live and past hearings: view here!

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New York City Council
Committee on Aging
Chair, Council Member Chin
Committee on Technology
Chair, Council Member Holden
January 22, 2021
Oversight - Increasing Senior Access to Technology

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on increasing senior access to technology. 

LiveOn NY’s members include more than 100 community-based nonprofits that provide core services which allow all New Yorkers to thrive in our communities as we age, including senior centers, home-delivered meals, affordable senior housing, elder abuse prevention, caregiver supports, NORCs and case management. With our members, we work to make New York a better place to age.

Throughout the pandemic, LiveOn NY’s members and the entire aging services network have found new ways to provide critical services to older New Yorkers in the face of unprecedented demand and a public health crisis. Technology has been the core to making this work possible. Overnight Senior Center classes went virtual and phone calls became the main mode of communication with clients. This work is critical, as isolation is now understood to be a significant health risk and predictor of morbidity. The ability to remain connected virtually has undoubtedly saved lives. To showcase the breadth of virtual programming that is now available, LiveOn has created a webpage where older adults can find classes offered in their community or that focus on their interests.

Unfortunately, the FCC estimates that 21 million Americans do not have access to high-speed internet, while other studies believe that number is closer to 42 million people. Even in New York, there are areas where connectivity remains a challenge. Additionally, financial barriers hinder access to technology among older adults, particularly given that the majority of older adults rely on limited fixed incomes. Today, many seniors can’t afford to purchase technology such as tablets or computers, and even if the devices are given to them, it is difficult or impossible to afford monthly internet access. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the digital divide, brought increased awareness to its existence, and highlighted the disastrous effects of not combatting its prevalence. 

Encouragingly, both the City and the State are beginning to address this issue. For example, the City’s tablet distribution program is a concrete step towards improving access to technology, and Governor Cuomo recently announced intent to “mandate $15 per month high-speed service for low-income families” guaranteeing “affordable internet for all low-income families.” LiveOn NY encourages the state to ensure program eligibility that is inclusive of low-income older New Yorkers.

Although efforts have been made to increase senior access to technology from the start of the pandemic until now, and while Mayor de Blasio initially promoted tech access through his “Internet Master Plan,” more must be done.  LiveOn NY and our members have seen the ways that lack of access to technology limits the ability for older adults to remain engaged and connected in our communities. For example, lack of access limits one’s ability to connect to virtual programming, thereby heightening the risk of isolation. Further, lack of access means missing out on real time information, such as best practices in regards to COVID, how to access food or the vaccine, online job opportunities, and even the ongoing political discourse that often happens through the web.

One of LiveOn NY’s members, PSS, surveyed more than 700 older adult participants, and found lowest tech use and comfort among their Senior Center program attendees, with many having no personal means to access the internet, whether it be through WiFi or cell service. Many clients reported having only a basic cell phone as their technology infrastructure. These findings underscore and support the urgency of the following recommendations, aimed at combating the digital divide:

City

Increase funding. Utilizing new technologies, Senior Centers have kept tens of thousands of seniors safe, connected, and healthy during the pandemic, despite operating on a shoestring budget. It is critical that Centers have a strong technology infrastructure to further enable Senior Centers and other DFTA programs to connect with older adults through virtual programming, during the pandemic and beyond.

• LiveOn NY recommends that the City increase its investment in the technology infrastructure of Senior Center and other DFTA providers. 

• Fulfill the commitment to allocate $10 million annually to Senior Centers, a promise that was neglected to be fulfilled in FY21, which would expand Senior Center funding to support the type of virtual programming made possible during this time.

• Fully fund the Indirect Cost Rates (ICR), which not only ensures the viability of the nonprofits providing these services, but often covers software and data systems that enable programs to perform in an increasingly virtual world.

Prepare for reopening. As Senior Center spaces remain closed, the Centers’ computer rooms which often are the sole point of access to technology for older adults are closed as well.

• The City must critically evaluate and share its timeline to reopen Senior Center spaces, as well as provide guidance on how to operate congregate spaces, such as computer labs, safely in the future.

Promote tech literacy among older adults. It’s important to keep in mind that of the older adults who have internet access, nearly half require assistance to use the internet or to set up their new device, and many are reliant on family for this support. This is why it is important to not only support tech expansion, but to support organizations that promote technology literacy among older adults. 

• The City should look to broaden and fund collaboration with Senior Centers, and organizations such as Senior Planet, which offers a hotline and courses to broaden tech access among older adults.

Make City resources accessible no matter a person’s tech literacy. As we have seen from the vaccine distribution, too often, an over-reliance on technologically rooted outreach and enrollment systems can lead to barriers in access for those who are not tech savvy. This can no longer be an afterthought. Just as the City should work to make all of its services available in multiple languages, so should it prioritize accessibility on the basis of technology literacy, or lack thereof. Non-tech options can no longer be second tier, meaning a phone option that is being utilized for seniors unable to register for the vaccine through the web, can not yield unreasonable hold times or other barriers. Whether it be sharing information around vaccine distribution, SCRIE eligibility or new senior units available on Housing Connect, removing barriers to access City resources will undoubtedly make New York a better place to age.

• At the outset of all initiatives, the City must consistently implement multi-pronged outreach efforts that utilize both technology and non-tech outreach and engagement methods. 

State 

LiveOn NY requests City Council utilize its platform to call on Governor Cuomo to sign the Comprehensive Broadband Connectivity Act (A.6679C Ryan/S.8805 Metzger). This legislation directs “the public service commission to review broadband and fiber optic services within the state and requires the expansion of broadband and fiber optic services.” By understanding and working to expand broadband and fiber optic services, New York will promote equity and equal access to information across the state for individuals of all ages. Enacting this legislation will support Governor Cuomo’s goal of increasing broadband access across the state.

Federal 

Expand distribution of tech resources. LiveOn NY is incredibly appreciative of the City’s investment in 10,000 tablets for older NYCHA residents, an initiative funded by utilizing federally allocated community-development block grants (CDBG), which are flexible in nature. This distribution program should be expanded to further meet the need that exists, and to share any data received on the impact of this initial investment to date.

Fully utilize federal resources. Within the most recent stimulus package, there has been new funding allocated for broadband infrastructure; notably, $7 billion for expanding access to high speed internet access.7 The City must evaluate this funding and ensure that it is prepared and well positioned to access these new resources.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify at today’s hearing.

A Goodbye to 2020: LiveOn NY’s End of Year Recap

2020 was a year like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic swept across communities, creating a rippling effect that exposed the current political, economic and social gaps that impact older New Yorkers including access to affordable senior housing, food insecurity, the rise of social isolation due to the pandemic and inadequate funding for vital senior services. Yet despite the challenges, organizations and providers have worked tirelessly to make New York a better place to age and ensure older adults have the support they need to truly thrive in New York.

Here, we look back at some of our top moments from LiveOn NY and our community in 2020.

Beyond Bricks: Affordable Senior Housing Symposium

Council Member Cornegy Jr, Council Member Salamanca Jr, Public Advocate Williams, & Scott Short on a panel at the Beyond Bricks: Affordable Senior Housing Symposium

LiveOn NY hosted the Beyond Bricks: Affordable Senior Housing Symposium on February 25, the largest event in New York City to focus on both aging and housing. This event brought together housing developers, management companies, elected officials, community-based nonprofits, and other representatives from public, private, and governmental organizations within the housing and aging services industries.

LiveOn NY also released a new report, Beyond Bricks: Affordable Senior Housing with Services, that highlights the various types of affordable senior housing models throughout the city as well as targeted recommendations to ensure older adults can age in place with accessible and affordable senior housing with services.  

LiveOn NY’s report, Beyond Bricks: Affordable Senior Housing with Services

LiveOn NY Hit the Frontlines Working to Provide Home Delivered Meals, Personal Care Kits and Other Key Benefits to Older New Yorkers in Need

LiveOn NY’s Benefits Outreach team, along with our member organizations were among the frontlines during the pandemic, providing critical support to older adults. The need for benefits and outreach skyrocketed with LiveOn NY’s team assisting over 2,300 adults with screening and enrollment assistance for key benefits including SNAP, the Rent Freeze Program, HEAP and other benefits as well as outreach to over 200,000 older New Yorkers to spread awareness about these supports.

When the city shut down went into effect, many older adults were unable to leave their homes or travel to grocery stores. Food security was on the rise in communities as more older adults were homebound. To meet the growing need for food, LiveOn NY, in partnership with the Project Isaiah and the World Central Kitchen, coordinated the delivery of 279,599 meals to older New Yorkers. In addition, our team organized and coordinated with community partners to provide 32,000 cold packs of food and 10,000 personal care kits to older adults in communities hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the generous support from the NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund of the New York Community Trust.

Picture courtesy of our member and partner in the distribution of meals, Chinese-American Planning Council.

Shifting to a Virtual Space

Across New York, organizations and providers have shifted to virtual programming due to the pandemic, offering critical services through online platforms for older adults and caregivers. LiveOn NY launched the Senior Center Workshop Initiative, a series of virtual workshops on innovative approaches for aging services and senior center operation to identify the barriers organizations face and meet the growing needs of aging services.

We also launched our Boots on the Ground Workgroup, a bi-weekly Zoom meeting for all aging service professionals to hear from leading experts on relevant topics, share resources and ideas, practice self-care, and other activities.

LiveOn NY’s 25th Annual Virtual Aging Advocacy Day

Each year, hundreds of older adults and aging services professionals have taken to the steps of City Hall to demand their fair share of the budget. While we weren’t able to gather in-person for the 25th Annual Aging Advocacy Day, over 200 people including elected officials, aging services professionals, advocates, and older adults gathered virtually for a TeleRally to discuss the needs of the aging services network as well as highlight the work of providers and organizations that continue to serve older New Yorkers during these challenging times.

LiveOn NY hosted a virtual Aging Advocacy Day with a TeleRally on Zoom

 Historic Advocacy Win: Bills Passed to Fight Age-Discrimination

Ageism, the discrimination against an individual based on their age, is a reality that impacts older New Yorkers every day, especially in the workplace. The New York City Council passed a historic package of bills, sponsored by Council Members Margaret Chin and Diana Ayala, to fight age discrimination in the workplace. LiveOn NY was proud to advocate in support of this legislation and work towards its enactment alongside partners at AARP New York, the Hunter Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging, and the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans.

Restoration of $466 million in Affordable Housing Funding

On October 23, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city will restore $466 million in the 2021 fiscal year’s capital cut to advance New York City’s Housing Plan. This advocacy win was made possible through the #NoCapitalCuts Campaign led the New York Housing Conference. LiveOn NY and other stakeholders and member organizations also joined the campaign and signed on to the letter to ensure New Yorkers have access to affordable housing.

Looking Ahead

As we close a chapter in 2020, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude and appreciation for our LiveOn NY community and beyond, who continue to show up every day to support older adults through vital services and programs. As we look ahead into the new year, LiveOn NY will continue to support our members and older New Yorkers to create a better future to age. 

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