New York City Council

Committee on Aging

Chair Hudson

Committee on Finance

Chair Brannan

May 17th, 2024

Executive Aging Budget FY25

My name is Kevin Kiprovski and I am the Director of Public Policy at LiveOn NY. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

LiveOn NY’s members include more than 110 community-based nonprofits that provide core services under the NYCAging portfolio and many other home and community based services in our city.

Background

Over 200 older adults have submitted testimony today in strong opposition to the Mayor’s budget and shared their stories about how these services keep them connected to their communities and their lives.

Ageism is pervasive in this year’s executive budget, with a built in hole of about $80 million dollars that threatens to disconnect older New Yorkers from the services and the support they need to stay involved in their communities. We testified earlier this year that older adult centers are in dire need of $82 million dollars to shore up the existing system, and in response we see a budget that will cut an additional $100 million and close older adult centers and reduce services across the city.

We are an aging city, and we must invest in that reality. The current paltry aging budget, less than a half of a percent of the budget, is not an adequate investment in our future.

Recommendations

Maintain the existing council discretionary funding to keep our system whole.

$50 Million to create a capital funding pot to get centers and resources in a state of good repair. There must be a baselined funding stream that keeps the physical spaces and resources of our system in good repair. Organizations cannot contract with the city on these services if the city cannot commit to paying for the resources needed to do this work.

$20 million to expand social work support across the network to allow for more service to New Yorkers. Organizations on average need 2 more case managers and 1 intake staff to create a program that can keep talent and serve the community well. This will allow higher needs cases to be handled effectively and keep the focus on service instead of admin work.

$12 million to increase the per meal rate for HDM programs to $15.31 per meal. HDM providers report an average deficit of $2.53 dollars per meal served, the contract with the city should at least pay for the services that they require.

Rethink our aging system and fully fund the true needs of aging services in New York. The proportion of the budget spent on aging must be drastically increased and we must understand that every dollar invested improves quality of life for so many in our city and saves money in the long run.

Reverse ALL cuts to the aging system. A fiscal cliff and unreversed PEGs will leave our already underfunded system on the verge of collapse. We must reimagine how we fund aging services across our city. We have a system that can create a just city and a place where we can all age

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

For questions, please email Kevin Kiprovski, Director of Public Policy at LiveOn NY, kkiprovski@liveon-ny.org.

LiveOn NY’s members provide the 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, and also administers the Rights and Information for Senior Empowerment (RISE) program to bring critical information directly to seniors on important topics to help them age well in their communities.