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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Justine Tetteh, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
1:19:51
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Justine Tetteh from Lenox Hill Neighborhood House testifies in favor of older adult kinship caregiving resources, highlighting the importance of supporting older adults in kinship care roles and the challenges they face. She emphasizes the need for additional funding and support for these caregivers.
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House serves over 5,000 older adults through various programs, including a caregiver program that helped 769 clients last fiscal year.
- The organization has observed that kinship caregivers often include grandparents or other older family members caring for children without legal custody.
- Caregivers face obstacles such as financial barriers, lack of social service support, legal challenges, and underrepresentation in policies.
Justine Tetteh
1:19:51
Good afternoon Chair Hudson and esteemed members of the Committee on Aging.
1:19:55
My name is Justine Tete and I'm the Director of Policy and Advocacy Advocacy at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and I am testifying in favor of older adult kinship caregiving resources.
1:20:04
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House is a 131 year old settlement house that oversees NYC aging funding programs including a caregiver program to older adult centers and a social adult day program.
1:20:15
Last fiscal year we served seven sixty nine clients through our caregiver program and over 5,000 members across all of our older adult programs.
1:20:22
NYC aging has been a cornerstone for older adult support and celebration and has transformed advocacy research and public knowledge into what it means to age with dignity and empowerment.
1:20:31
Our caregiver program delivers much needed services to caregivers residing in Congressional Districts 8 Through 12 including supportive counseling for caregivers experiencing burnout and stress, virtual and in person support groups, supplemental item purchases, respite services and many more.
1:20:46
The communities we serve are rich in culture and familial values.
1:20:49
We have observed that kinship caregivers can be grandparents or other older family members that are caring for a child that they do not have legal custody of.
1:20:57
As we continue to advocate for additional funding for our city's older adult programs, we must also recognize the importance of supporting older adults in kinship diets.
1:21:05
Non traditional family structures are embedded in our community with older adults raising an adolescent family member or a family member with intellectual and or developmental needs.
1:21:13
Caregivers face immeasurable obstacles including financial barriers, lack of social service support, legal challenges, and neglect of representation in local state and federal policies.
1:21:23
The neighborhood house hopes that the stories of other kinship caregivers inspire our local government to approve investments in new funding streams for kinship caregivers as it would be vital to ensure that these types of overlooked individuals receive the services they need.
1:21:37
We can only hope that with this momentum organizations can continue to invest in NYC Aging's goal to build multi generational program and resources for years to come.
1:21:45
Thank you for being a voice for our community.