PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Charles Madray, VP of Health Services and Community Based Programs at Samaritan Daytop Village
2:37:31
ยท
115 sec
Charles Madray from Samaritan Daytop Village testified about the challenges faced by their Woodside Older Adult Center, emphasizing the need for capital funding and improved coordination with NYCHA for repairs and maintenance. He highlighted the aging infrastructure and the financial strain on their organization to keep the center operational.
- The center requires significant capital investments, including a $200,000 HVAC system repair
- Delays in NYCHA's responsiveness to repair requests affect the center's operations and older adults' experience
- Samaritan Daytop Village spent nearly $50,000 from their operating budget on repairs last year
- Madray requested dedicated capital funding, improved coordination between NYC Aging and NYCHA, and support for technology enhancements
Charles Madray
2:37:31
Good afternoon.
2:37:33
My name is Charles Madre.
2:37:34
I'm the vice president of Health Services and Community Based Programs at Samaritan Data Village.
2:37:39
At Samaritan Data Village, we provide services to over 60 over 30,000 clients per year.
2:37:48
And we actually operate the Woodside Old Adult Center.
2:37:52
One of the most pressing issues is capital funding.
2:37:55
The Woodside houses are almost 80 years old and significant infrastructure needs that our current grant and budget cannot cover.
2:38:04
We've been waiting for NYCHA to address the repair of the air conditioning system or the HVAC system, which would cost us over $200,000.
2:38:12
This is beyond our financial capacity, but it's critical in creating a comfortable environment for older adults, particularly during the summer.
2:38:19
This past summer, we had to opt out of the cooling center for 1 week due to system repairs.
2:38:25
Without these repairs, attendance will be affected and the overall experience for older adults will be diminished.
2:38:31
Last year, we spent almost $50,000 in repairs from our operating budget.
2:38:36
Our agency has been subsidizing a significant portion of our older adult center budget.
2:38:43
Additionally, we face challenges with NYCHA responsiveness.
2:38:47
Delays in addressing repairs and maintenance requests are often prolong the time and it takes to resolve critical issues, leaving our older adults to cope with inadequate conditions.
2:38:57
Better coordination is needed between New York City AGEN and NYCHA.
2:39:02
We respectfully ask that the council to consider the following priorities, dedicated capital funding, improved coordination, and support for technology enhancement to make the centers more engaging and accessible, boosting participation and overall community impact.
2:39:20
I wanna thank you for allowing us this time to speak and sincerely appreciate it.
Crystal Hudson
2:39:25
Thank you for your testimony.