Borough President Reynoso, Advocacy Organizations, Older New Yorkers Meet at Borough Hall to Fight for Investments in Aging
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Brooklyn, NY – On Tuesday, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso partnered with aging advocacy organization LiveOn NY to host a “Brooklyn Advocacy Day” press conference calling for investment into resources and infrastructure for older adults. The press conference is part of LiveOn NY’s Age Strong NYC campaign urging Mayor Adams to invest $2.3 billion in nutrition, housing, and community services to support older New Yorkers.
“We owe so much to the older generations of New Yorkers. The city we have inherited, its sense of community and culture and tradition, was built by them,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “These New Yorkers deserve to age with dignity, and to remain a part of the city they have given so much to. It is up to us to make this possible, by investing in the infrastructure that allows older adults to live happy, healthy lives.”
“The infrastructure of older adult centers is the beating heart of the aging services system and we’ve let that heart crumble over the last 2 decades. Many are fed, connected to services, engaged in community, and can access medical programs through their local centers. Without investment some have become dilapidated or unusable, locking out older New Yorkers from these vital spaces and no plan from the Mayor to restore these critical community pillars,” said Kevin Kiprovski, Director of Public Policy at LiveOn NY, “We must make bold investments and cut the red tape that prevents these centers from bringing their spaces to a state of good repair to insure our city is ready to serve our aging population”
“When talking to my clients, I often hear, ‘I worked so hard my entire life but I can’t get much support now that my body is aching and I need help.’ These are the grandmas and grandpas in our community who devoted their prime years not only to support their families but to better our society. New York City would not be the same without their dedication. We must protect and invest more in our aging community. It is our turn to give back and take care of our grandmas and grandpas,” said Yulin Liu, Heights and Hills.
“These programs are absolutely crucial to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, but they are at risk. Sadly, under the budget, we are being ignored again. We are invisible. Without proper funding, activities and programs will be cut, and we cannot let that happen. That’s why I’m here today, standing with the AgeStrong NYC Campaign — I’m urgently calling on City Hall to fully fund these essential services. We need to make sure that every older adult in this city has access to support, dignity, and the quality of life they deserve,” said Tony Lam, member of AgeStrong NYC.
“It’s unfortunate that our older adults have a hard time finding a permanent place to age in, that you are asked to shuffle around until one place might meet your needs. That is just absolutely unjust,” said Councilmember Shanana Hanif. “As a daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, I also recognize that our immigrant older adults are experiencing the brunt of aging in NYC, because New York City is not language-accessible, and continues to provide challenges for older adults living in the city.”
“We know that we have continuously been fighting against the Mayor’s budget cuts for the Department of Aging; we have been continuously fighting for a budget that takes into account the increase in the older adult population that we know we’re seeing. We need to make sure we have 2.3 billion dollars — and we still know it’s not enough. But it’s a starting point that we will hopefully achieve in this fiscal year. We need to make sure the Mayor is advocating for these investments, making these investments, and understands the true value of the older adult community in this city,” said Councilmember Crystal Hudson.
“We want to thank LiveOn for organizing this event. While Congresswoman Velazquez is fighting in Washington, we need to fight on the local level. We need to make sure that any kind of housing that’s developed in New York City needs to also meet the needs of our aging community. These are the golden years of many of our seniors, who have worked and dedicated their life and blood to New York City. We stand with LiveOn in this fight to fund services for our seniors,” said Evelyn Cruz, District Director for Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez.
The conference builds on work Borough President Reynoso has done throughout his administration to support older adults in Brooklyn. His Comprehensive Plan for Brooklyn, released in October 2023, details numerous areas where Brooklyn can better serve people of all ages. Recommendations include the need for increased City funding for programs that increase digital access and literacy for older adults, including an expansion of computer and technology classes, as well as the need to work with local organizations to increase access to in-home mobility systems for older adults and people with disabilities.
Through New York City’s Department for the Aging (DFTA), Borough President Reynoso has allocated $326k each year in 2023, 2024, and 2025 across more than 20 groups providing services to older adults in the borough. In 2024, the Borough President also allocated $6 million to DFTA to support capital improvements across older adults centers in Brooklyn, $1 million to Catholic Charities to support the Livonia C3 senior affordable housing project, and $30,000 to 3 non-profit organizations to support older adults’ programs. This year, he has allocated $1.275 million to NYC Health & Hospitals/McKinney for bathroom upgrades and telemetry expansion.
Brooklyn Advocacy Day is part of LiveOn NY’s AgeStrong NYC campaign, which launched this January. The campaign aims to secure $2.3 billion in funding for nutrition, housing, and community services for older adults in New York City over the next 3-5 years.
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