In response to the release of the New York State budget, which includes only $700K additional funds to address a $40M deficit facing waitlists for aging services, LiveOn NY issued the following statement.
Politico NY Covers Sign-On Letter Decrying Gov. Hochul's Budget "Ageist"
Politico NY Covers Sign-On Letter Decrying Gov. Hochul's Budget "Ageist"
AN ‘AGEIST’ BUDGET: Over 140 advocacy organizations around the state are putting pressure on Hochul to allocate more money toward aging New Yorkers, calling her budget “an ageist document.”
The organizations, which include the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State and Catholic Charities, sent a letter to Hochul this afternoon alleging her budget shows “a clear lack of consideration for the millions of older adults in New York.”
“The current budget allocation for the New York State Office for the Aging is less than 0.8 percent of the total budget, significantly below what is required to meet the growing needs in our communities,” says the letter, which was exclusively shared with Playbook.
Hochul’s team did not respond to Playbook’s requests for comment.
In her budget briefing book, the words “children,” “child care” and “child” are mentioned more than 90 times collectively, but the word “senior,” in reference to older adults, is mentioned just once, Allison Nickerson, executive director of LiveOn NY, told Playbook.
“Older adults” and “adult caregivers” also barely received a mention, Nickerson said.
The groups say Hochul’s proposed budget would cut $9.3 million from homecare services and $2.5 million from the office for the aging’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.
The cuts come at an especially fraught time for aging New Yorkers. During the Covid pandemic, many low-income elderly New Yorkers saw various support systems — like routine meals from family members or programming at community centers — completely disappear. But the gap was filled with federal pandemic aid.
Now those federal dollars have dried up, and the groups say Hochul’s budget would cut services at a time when more investment is needed.
Currently, at least 18,000 aging New Yorkers are waiting to receive crucial services like Meals on Wheels, transportation or case management services, and an immediate investment of $51 million is needed to make those support services accessible, the organizations wrote.
In New York, about 1 in 5 residents are above the age of 65. That population is expected to grow significantly over the next decade.
“The state really cannot move forward unless it is addressing the issues of older adults,” Nickerson said. — Jason Beeferman
LiveOn NY's Statement on the 2023 State of the State Address
This Tuesday, Governor Hochul held her State of the State address, articulating policy and budgetary priorities for the coming session including aging related commitments to support all New Yorkers as we age. LiveOn NY applauds Governor Hochul commitments outlined in the agenda, which serve as significant markers of what's likely to come on the state level this year.
LiveOn NY Applauds Governor Hochul Commitment to Older New Yorkers in Her First State of the State Address
This Wednesday, Governor Hochul held her first State of the State address, articulating policy and budgetary priorities for the coming session including aging related commitments to support all New Yorkers as we age. LiveOn NY applauds Governor Hochul commitments outlined in the agenda, which serve as significant markers of what's likely to come on the state level this year.
Testimony: NYS Assembly Committee on Housing Hearing on Affordable Housing
In 2016, LiveOn NY conducted a survey, entitled “Through the Roof” which found that an estimated 200,000 seniors are on wait lists for housing through the HUD202 program in New York City. The lack of affordable housing can have adverse effects on a senior’s health as it forces one to make the difficult choice between skipping meals, going without medications, or avoiding needed healthcare in order to afford rent.