TESTIMONY
Wendell Walters on Support Needs for Justice-Impacted Older Adults in NYC
2:59:42
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124 sec
Wendell Walters testifies on the essential support for justice-impacted older adults in New York City, focusing on reentry needs and financial implications.
- Walters represents the Osborn Association, a major criminal justice service organization, emphasizing its work with older adults' reentry.
- He highlights the societal and financial costs of neglecting older adults in jails and prisons, indicating the potential for reallocating resources for their better support.
- Osborn Association is preparing to open the Fulton Community Reentry Center, providing transitional housing and services for older men.
- Walters requests council support for the initiative, including funding for the Reentry Center and the Elder Reentry Initiative.
- The testimony underscores the importance of not forgetting justice-impacted older adults and continuing to advocate and support their reentry into society.
Wendell Walters
2:59:42
Thank you, chair Hudson, and the members of the agent committee for the opportunity to provide testimony today.
2:59:46
My name is Linda Walters, and I am the manager of Policy And Ethics see at the Osborn Association.
2:59:51
Osborn is one of the largest notice criminal justice service organizations in the state.
2:59:55
Each year, we serve 10,000 participants to reentry.
2:59:58
And since 2014 had been focusing on the needs of older adults in prison in jail and their reentry.
3:00:04
Attention to the needs of older people in New York City is critical.
3:00:07
And that includes caring about older people who are incarcerated and returning homes in New York City.
3:00:12
That's in the city and a society.
3:00:13
We are ignoring the needs of older people in jails and prisons and those returning to our communities at enormous cost, dollar's lives for being lost wisdom and contributions to society.
3:00:24
The resources we are, quote, investing, unquote, and keeping older people locked up are hurting them and us based on the annual cost of incarceration, of about 560,000 dollars, $1000 per person per year on riders simply bringing 2 people off riders who were there for 1 year would fund an entire specialized unit.
3:00:42
Then New York City agent to focus on justice impacted older adults.
3:00:46
We recommend credit in such a unit.
3:00:49
Funny place to reside is the biggest obstacle for these individuals when they return home.
3:00:53
That's when it's poised to soon open the Fulton Community Reentry Center.
3:00:57
Provide a 140 transitional housing beds for older men returning from prison with an array of energy services in the former state owned Fulton Correctional Facility in the Bronx.
3:01:06
We are grateful for our past council funding consultant, and we are again requesting council support in the amount of $250,000.
3:01:12
I was more than many years now has been educating the public about the incarcerated older adult and advocating for support on their behalf through our elder reentry initiative.
3:01:21
Previously funded by the council, we asked for continued support the program in the amount of $100,000 for program services and public education on behalf of those older adults.
3:01:31
Please let us as a city and not forget these individuals as society often does.
3:01:36
Osbourne is committed to doing the work and with the help of with the help and support from the council We will continue to do so.
3:01:43
Thank you very much.
3:01:44
We will submit our forward and test them on here for your review.