New York City Council
Committee on Aging, Chair Chin
September 21, 2020
Oversight - The Future of Senior Centers after COVID-19.
Thank you, Chair Chin, for the opportunity to testify on the future of Senior Centers after COVID-19.
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.
First, we wish to thank and applaud the senior center providers across the City that have stepped up during COVID-19, finding new ways to provide critical services in the face of unprecedented demand and a public health crisis. Their services continue to be more important than ever, as older adults face increased risk of food insecurity and social isolation against the backdrop of a crippling economy and historic job loss. These risks, coupled with the painful loss of family and friends, only magnify the importance of Senior Centers and their core services.
Created through the federal Older Americans Act, Senior Centers’ core services are meant to include the “provision of health (including mental and behavioral health), social, nutritional, and educational services and the provision of facilities for recreational activities for older individuals.” While the physical facilities have been temporarily shuttered as a result of COVID, it is a testament to the strength of these programs and our City that all of these core functions have remained available to older adults throughout the pandemic: mental health supports took the form of hundreds of thousands wellness calls; nutrition was provided in-part through GetFood, which required support from Senior Center staff; socialization, education, and recreation went virtual; and a health focus was paramount through it all.
It is with this in mind that we can look to the “future of senior centers after COVID-19.” While much of the future appears uncertain, what’s clear is that these core services—nutrition, health, socialization, recreation, and education—will be more important than ever in the lives of a rapidly growing older adult population, particularly as we emerge from a global pandemic. Whether it be next month, next year, or next decade, we must ensure that these services are robustly available in every community throughout the five boroughs.
As we move through COVID-19 and find a “new normal,” here are some recommendations on next steps for Senior Centers:
Shift meal provision back to Senior Centers. While GetFood served a laudable purpose during the pandemic to address large-scale hunger across the lifespan, the City must elevate beyond its interim meals system and shift senior meal provision back to Senior Centers, because only the senior service sector can provide a service that is far more cost effective, efficient, and importantly, in the best interest of older New Yorkers.
Senior centers know best how to meet the nutritional needs of their older adult clients—it is core to what they have done for decades as a network. These non-profit providers have a proven track record of providing high-quality meals that are both culturally competent and unfailingly nutritious. Further, these providers have deep relationships with their older community members, which will allow the clients’ needs to be more holistically met.
With safety as our guidepost, to make this meal transition a success, the City will need to:
Commit to reimbursing all associated costs, including startup and ongoing cleaning costs, PPE, and any necessary kitchen ventilation improvements, particularly in Centers located in NYCHA or City-owned property where repairs can be made more expediently.
Include $5 million in funding promised for kitchen staff salaries that were left out of the FY21 budget, and the $10 million in promised funding for Senior Center staff, finally making whole the commitments made by the City during the Model Budget Processes.
Pay providers in full for costs of providing meals, including funding for any increase in meals served beyond the Center’s contracted level due to new demand. This may also mean increased funding for new expenses, such as to-go containers.
Provide clear, succinct guidance regarding best safety practices to help mitigate risk for both Senior Center staff and clients, while supporting flexibility in models to accommodate variance in staffing patterns and center-specific characteristics. For example, some centers might already have capacity to safely distribute grab-and-go meals; while others serving more clients or lacking outdoor space for distribution might prefer a grab-and-go by appointment model; and centers with ample volunteers might prefer distributing the meals on foot to the older adult’s home.
Should the number of meals needing to be served to older adults be greater than the capacity that Senior Centers can provide, the City should look to increase funding and capacity of the home-delivered meals system to meet this excess demand, rather than continuing to rely on new, for-profit partners. Finally, following resumed meal provision by centers, the City’s Aging and Health Departments should work with providers to learn from their experiences and to create guidance on how meal provision can continue to safely evolve.
Invest in technology to promote socialization, recreation, and education. COVID has proven that countless seniors are willing to connect to technology and participate in the virtual programming offered by their Senior Center. However, while technology utilization continues to rapidly increase, research has found that less than a third of those over the age of 80 had Internet access at home. To engage older adults, both in the short and long term, the City must invest in the technology infrastructure for providers and older adults. The City’s investment in 10,000 tablets for NYCHA residents is a great start towards this goal, and should be expanded to reach more DFTA participants and Senior Center staff.
Given that we are discussing the future of Senior Centers, LiveOn NY would also like to acknowledge that there is a currently open “Older Adult Center” Concept Paper in preparation for the upcoming RFP.
While recognizing the Concept Paper’s aim to push the senior service system forward, LiveOn NY underscores the need for more specific details that are not currently addressed in the Concept Paper but should be explicitly articulated prior to the upcoming RFP to offer providers the opportunity to fully and collaboratively engage with the City. We are hopeful that, if articulated in advance of the RFP, the City will outline a fiscally responsible path forward that will allow providers to implement some of the new ideas proposed, while continuing to serve New York’s communities responsibly and compassionately. Clarity and details within the Concept Paper are paramount, particularly given the historic uncertainty that providers and New Yorkers continue to grapple with amidst a global pandemic. Ten such examples of outstanding questions requiring clarity in advance of the RFP are below, and a more extensive list of considerations and concerns will be provided in LiveOn NY’s formal Concept Paper response submission.
Conceptually, what is the Department for the Aging’s current plan for:
How many contracts will be awarded under the new procurement?
What method, if any, will be utilized in determining geographic distribution of new contracts?
What are the expectations and details regarding meal provision under future contracts?
How does the Department for the Aging anticipate supporting a smooth transition for clients, particularly during COVID, if any contracts were to change?
What are allowable or expected staffing requirements (including staffing patterns by center model or size, position types that will be funded, minimum staff salary requirements, etc.)?
Will the contracts include a commitment to funding the provider's full Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) and cost escalators?
What is a sample budget that the contract will provide for?
Will capital funding be available?
What funding will be available to support providers in purchasing technology for virtual programming?
How will the Department ensure providers have real time access to their data as it is entered into STARS, particularly given the Concept Paper’s emphasis on data collection?
In responding to these questions, and further elaborating on items that lack clarity within the Concept Paper, the City and the Department for the Aging can work collaboratively with providers and the public at-large to mutually create a more solid foundation for the future of Senior Centers.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.