17,500 LETTERS SENT TO THE GOVERNOR =

65 SENIOR CENTERS SAVED

LET'S DO IT AGAIN - CITY BUDGET TIME

When we come together and unite in a common voice, we win!

The Senate and Assembly passed the final budget this weekend which included funding for aging services, as well as a provision adding an unprecedented $125 million in capital funding for senior housing for low income seniors. LiveOn NY thanks Aging Committee Chairs Senator Sue Serino and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo for their strong leadership during the budget process and for fighting vigilantly for aging services. We also thank Housing Chairs Senator Betty Little and Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz for their strong leadership on affordable senior housing funding.

Key highlights include:

$17 million in Title XX funds restored for senior centers, saving the 65 NYC Senior Centers that were at risk
$875,000 in new funding for for Community Services for the Elderly (CSE) - which helps to address the 17,000 seniors on waiting lists statewide
$945,000 for statewide elder abuse victims’ services (same as last year)
$500,000 for Enhanced Multi-Disciplinary Teams (EMDTs) (same as last year)
$125 million for developing or rehabilitating affordable housing for low income seniors

The entire budget moves to Governor for final approval, and we are hopeful that he will sign and approve it. We will keep you updated.

CITY BUDGET

Clearly your advocacy works and now it is time to focus our efforts on the city budget.

This is why we are introducing our:

2017 Year of the Senior: City Letter Writing Campaign! Click here to get started right away!

Senior services deserve to be a priority in the City Budget - YOU are the safety net that supports Older New Yorkers and it's time your city supports you. Just as we did in fighting for Title XX funding, we will be writing letters to key elected leaders who can influence the amount of funding your program receives in the budget. Letters to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and your respective Council Member will send a clear and united message: 2017 is the Year of the Senior.

Just like before, we've made it easy by providing sample letters and clear instructions.

Click here for Instructions to print out

Click here for senior letter packet

Thank you - your efforts make THE difference!

Have questions about the letter writing campaign? Contact Katelyn Hosey at 212-398-6565 x244 or khosey@liveon-ny.org
Have questions about the budget? Contact Bobbie Sackman at 212-398-6565 X226 or bsackman@liveon-ny.org or Andrea Cianfrani at 212-398-6565 x233 or acianfrani@liveon-ny.org
Want to know more? Check out LiveOn NY's webpage which contains information on our full budget ask, as well as other advocacy information: http://www.liveon-ny.org/budget-advocacy
Want to stay connected? LiveOn NY is active on both Twitter and Facebook, where we will post updates on the letter writing campaign, as well as other aging issues. Be sure to follow and like @LiveOnNY