City Council Candidate Responses
District 11
1. Please briefly share your background and note any experiences you may have in engaging older adults, whether professionally or personally, and in connecting with the non-profit sector.
Abigail Martin
Professionally, as a social worker in the child welfare system I regularly supported grandparents and great grandparents who had become foster parents to care for their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Caring for children caught up in this demanding, complex, and often racist system is hard enough, but when you add in the complexities of being an older adult navigating these challenges it can be brutal. As a professor, those experiences inform my supervision of students placed in agencies that serve older adults throughout New York City, including District 11. On a personal level, I helped my own grandparents die of Alzheimers. At present, my 86 year old father-in-law lives on his own in Woodlawn. I see the daily challenges he faces, and that our family faces in helping him stay independent. It’s practically another part time job for my husband who also works full time and helps care for our three young children. I also sit on our co-op’s board with many older residents, and see the wisdom, experience, skills, and incredible energy they bring to every aspect of keeping our co-op thriving.
Eric Dinowitz
My work with older adults is some of the work I’m most proud of. I have been the Chair of Bronx Community Board 8’s Aging Committee for three years. Earlier this year, I paused my fundraising and campaign activity to make hundreds of wellness calls to older adults in my district to check to see if there was anything they needed. Some were doing fine, but many were lonely and needed someone to talk to, as well as many that needed critical services. I helped connect seniors in need to meal deliveries, unemployment services, and social emotional supports.
2. As we live longer and healthier lives, what are your priorities with respect to promoting equity across all ages in our City?
Abigail Martin
New York has a history of rebuilding from fiscal crises off the backs of working families and those on fixed incomes, with women particularly impacted. We will not do that this time. To promote equity across all ages in our City, my priorities are:
- Aging Justice. For decades our city has criminally underfunded senior services, and undervalued those who care for aging New Yorkers. Older New Yorkers are not just our past - their contributions are critical to building back better, and it’s time we invest in their well-being accordingly. I will fight for older New Yorkers’ needs to be considered in every issue from housing, to food security, to health care, to ending the digital divide. We need real investment for targeted services that meet diverse seniors where they are at.
- Affordable, accessible, high-quality child care for all. Universal child care, including care for infants and toddlers, must be at the heart of an equitable recovery for The Bronx. I will fight for a child care system that gives families - especially mothers - a chance to thrive, and that values child care workers, who are primarily women of color, with dignity, good pay, and benefits.
- A Green New Deal for New York City. I will fight for an equitable, community-centered approach to addressing the climate crisis and building a green workforce. I will prioritize ensuring that our City’s ambitious goals are implemented on time, equitably, and with a focus on creating good, living-wage union jobs, especially in environmental justice communities.
- A real living wage for New Yorkers. $15 an hour is not enough. It is estimated by MIT that a living wage for a single adult in New York City is at least $17-18 an hour. I will fight for an update to the The Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act which establishes a new city-wide livable wage and also works with all employers, large and small, to help create a feasible plan for reaching it.
- Universal health care. All New Yorkers deserve to live, work, play, and worship in neighborhoods that support their physical, mental, and emotional health. I will fight to end the root causes of racial health disparities AND to fix our unequal and inadequate health care system. In partnership with residents, community groups, health providers, small businesses, and faith organizations, I will advance policies to ensure that The Bronx has the social and economic conditions to promote everyone’s health and well-being.
- Food justice. No New Yorker should face hunger or have to depend on emergency food pantries. I will fight for a stronger local food economy which builds wealth and resilience in and among our own community; and where our children are provided healthy, appealing food at school as well as nutrition education—both of which are critical for their long-term health.
- Housing as a human right. I will fight to ensure that all of our community’s residents have access to safe, affordable housing, and that no one will live in fear of losing their home due to change in income status, rising housing costs, or mental or physical incapacity.
Eric Dinowitz
One of my top priorities is achieving accessible transportation for all ages, including older adults that may have mobility issues.
3. Do you support increasing the budget for the Department for the Aging (DFTA), which funds programs such as Senior Centers, NORCs, home-delivered meals, and more? Please give rationale for your response and specify any specific funding changes you are most committed to achieving.
Abigail Martin
Our government can’t continue to silo and ignore older New Yorkers. Currently, only 1% of the City budget goes to the Department for the Aging (DFTA). That must change. With stable funding that actually meets the level of need, skilled caregivers who are critical to helping seniors stay in their homes could be paid living wages, instead of the poverty wages they currently get. Senior centers that offer culturally appropriate programming, community, and access to services, could get needed upgrades. And older adults could be supported by case managers who can help them access services, instead of languishing on years-long waiting lists.
Eric Dinowitz
Yes, I support increasing DFTA’s budget. I am committed to funding existing programs, and would like to add more funding for digital literacy and equipment so that we can close the digital divide for seniors. We must also support our senior centers as they transition to remote/in-person hybrid models of service.
4. Do you support implementing a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for city-contracted human service workers and the full implementation of the Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) initiative for non-profits? Please explain your response.
Abigail Martin
I strongly support implementing a COLA increase for city-contracted human service workers and fully implementing the ICR initiative for non-profits. As a social worker, I know that my fellow human service workers are essential workers. They are on the frontline of providing critical government services from food, to housing, to health care. They care for vulnerable New Yorkers, help people get services they need and deserve, and ensure that New Yorkes can not only survive, but thrive. We cannot build back better without addressing the issues facing the people and organizations that do this essential work. For far too long the state and city have not paid for the true cost of these essential services. During the pandemic, the de Blasio administration has largely left nonprofits and human services workers to fend for themselves. As a City Council member, I will fight for increased funding for nonprofits, and for human services workers to be able to work with dignity, good pay and benefits, and pathways for opportunity.
Eric Dinowitz
Yes. I support a COLA increase as well as the full implementation of ICR. The city must cover the costs of programs that go to our most vulnerable populations, like seniors.
5. Given that many older New Yorkers rely on limited fixed incomes and would prefer to age in community, rather than entering costly nursing homes, how will you address the need for affordable senior housing with services for a growing older population? How will you evaluate/respond to affordable senior housing proposals during ULURP?
Abigail Martin
While most seniors want to stay in their own homes as they age, many are unable to due to unaffordable rents, years long waiting lists for affordable housing, buildings that are ill-equipped to safely age in place, and underinvestment in community-based solutions. To ensure that all older New Yorkers have safe, affordable, supportive housing options, I will:
- Advocate for seniors’ automatic enrollment in the currently underutilized Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE), so that all seniors who qualify for rent assistance can get help to age in their own homes.
- Build and preserve deeply affordable housing for low-income seniors, in partnership with nonprofit developers.
- Support calls for the city and state to fund social workers in senior housing.
- Call for a publicly-funded program for minor repairs and upgrades to older New Yorkers’ homes, making homes safer and creating local jobs.
- Make sure that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest housing provider for our city’s seniors, has the resources it needs to thrive.
- Direct resources to support Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCS).
- Fight for more state and city funding for the Expanded in-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP), to eliminate the unacceptably long waitlists for low-income seniors to access case management and home care.
Regarding the ULURP process, I will respond by prioritizing the incredible need for affordable housing for seniors. We cannot have a just and equitable city that works for all New Yorkers without housing our vulnerable seniors.
Eric Dinowitz
We must keep seniors in their homes by protecting our rent stabilized housing stock, and expand eligibility for SCRIE. We must build more senior housing throughout the city, and the need for this would be at the forefront of any decisions I come to regarding ULURP proposals.
6. While many older adults wish to be connected, many lack the financial resources or training necessary to fully access technology, exacerbating the digital divide. How would you encourage the City to address this?
Abigail Martin
Nearly one third of seniors—more of whom are low income, or who are non-English speakers, Black, or Latinx—lack internet access. Not only does this exacerbate isolation and make accessing services harder, it has been a huge barrier to getting vaccinated. A key part of my platform is fighting for digital equity, ensuring that all New Yorkers have universal broadband, access to reliable digital devices, and the skills and comfort level necessary to navigate the internet, and as technology evolves. Specifically for older New Yorkers, we need to prioritize getting them the tools and support they need to connect online with loved ones and with critical services by providing affordable home internet, and ensuring senior centers can provide technology and digital literacy programs.
Eric Dinowitz
I would increase funding for DFTA-run senior centers and non-profits to teach older adults to use technology, and I would expand the eligibility for seniors able to receive tablets from the city.
7. During COVID-19, Senior Centers continued to work remotely, offering services in new ways to ensure their clients’ needs were met. To date, providers have not been authorized to operate in-person, despite restaurants, movies, and other entities, which older adults could also attend, being open. Further, community-based organizations, in many cases, have not been leveraged in the new meal delivery system. What are ways that you feel the City should work with nonprofits and engage older adults in the event of a future emergency?
Abigail Martin
Loneliness and social isolation are not just emotionally taxing for older adults: they are killers. They can be as harmful to one’s health as smoking fifteen cigarettes per day. Senior centers provide critical spaces for older New Yorkers to connect and access a huge range of services, and should be opened for in-person attendance as soon as possible. Focusing on an equitable vaccine rollout will be critical - we need to be bringing more vaccines to straight to older New Yorkers instead of making them navigate complex online appointment systems.
In order to work more productively with nonprofits and engage older adults in future emergencies, the city first and foremost needs to ensure that the community-based organizations serving seniors have increased baselined funding so that they are stable and sustainable. The rollout of emergency home delivered meals also needs to be rethought. It did not make sense to move supervision of these meals over to Get Food when there is an existing and experienced network of home-delivered meal providers who know their clients’ needs (culturally, nutritionally, etc.) and have established and trusted relationships. Finally, to ensure that senior centers can meet the needs of older New Yorkers now and in the case of future emergencies, we need to invest capital funds in community-based and NYCHA senior centers that are desperately in need of repairs and modernization. With nearly half of older adults speaking a language other than English, we also need to ensure that the senior centers have resources to offer culturally- and linguistically-responsive services.
Eric Dinowitz
The city should have plans with community-based organizations on how to operate in the midst of a major health crisis, such as the one we’re in now. If a crisis of this scale happens again, the city must already be prepared to provide critical services without disruption to our seniors.
8. With 1 in 5 New Yorkers over the age of 60, what are the changes you would seek to make to create a more age-friendly district? Please consider addressing the physical infrastructure of your district (walkability, accessibility, etc.), health care access, safety net resources, and other district specific items of note.
Abigail Martin
I will ensure that District 11’s older adults’ voices are heard and that their rights are front and center across all issues as we build our city back better, not siloed as only needing to be considered for “senior issues.” In addition to the priorities I already addressed above, I will focus on the following policies and initiatives to make District 11 more age-friendly:
- Hire a constituent services coordinator dedicated to addressing the needs of District 11’s older residents in every neighborhood.
- End senior food insecurity, including funding seven meals per week instead of five, and increasing the number of meals available per day for vulnerable older adults.
- Advocate for the New York Health Act so that all New Yorkers can have long-term care coverage.
- Find better solutions for heat-vulnerable seniors who lack in-home cooling, including retrofits to make older buildings more energy efficient, air conditioners, and better public cooling centers.
- Work to ensure that the Department of Transportation (DOT) improves the sidewalks in disrepair throughout our district, including addressing lighting, roadway markings, and pedestrian visibility.
- Support expanding bus service in our district and advocate for more fully accessible public transit stops in District 11.
- Invest in the arts and cultural institutions, parks, and libraries that make our city vibrant, livable, and culturally rich for New Yorkers of all ages.
Eric Dinowitz
I will make sure my district is an age-friendly district, where all can live and retire in comfort. I will address infrastructure such as stairs, and put in ramps wherever possible. I will also continue my fight for accessible transportation, by installing more ramps and elevators at train stations, as well as fighting any proposed cuts to our bus service. I will work to save and preserve rent regulated housing and expand access to SCRIE.
9. In the event of a budget shortfall, how would you push for the City to close the gap? Are there agencies or programs you feel should or should not absorb cuts? Please be specific.
Abigail Martin
First and foremost I support taxing multi-millionaires and billionaires to close budget gaps, and was very happy to see taxes increase for the wealthy in the FY22 NYS budget. If, in 2027 when the increases are scheduled to sunset, we are facing a budget shortfall, I will advocate for state lawmakers to continue them. At this point in the NYC FY22 budgeting process it is hard to say which agencies will end up with room for trimming the fat, but I will never cut services for the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Funding for DFTA, child care, education, food security, housing stability, mental health, climate resilience, and workforce development can’t be cut during economic crises or we won’t be able to build back better on the other side.
Eric Dinowitz
I would oppose any cuts to agencies or programs that serve our city’s most vulnerable populations, including seniors. In the case of a budget shortfall, I will look into any wasteful spending from city agencies or programs that do not directly contribute to the wellbeing of our most vulnerable residents.
10. How should your constituents look to measure your success in achieving your responses outlined above?
Abigail Martin
My constituents should measure my success in achieving the responses I outlined above by tracking legislation I introduce or co-sponsor (or advocate for at the state/federal level); my budget priorities including general budget advocacy and how I allocate discretionary funds; and the level of service and responsiveness they get from me and my staff.
Eric Dinowitz
My constituents should look to the strong stance I take in budget negotiations, as I fight any cuts to social services. They should also look to the legislation I introduce, and the constituent services my office provides.