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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Atrice Wildman, Social Caseworker at Encore Community Services
3:19:35
ยท
3 min
Atrice Wildman, a social caseworker at Encore Community Services, testifies about the urgent need for increased funding to support New York City's older adults. She highlights the challenges in providing adequate meals, maintaining aging infrastructure in older adult centers, and expanding case management services.
- Calls for increased meal funding to provide three meals daily for older adults in need and adjust reimbursement rates to reflect actual costs
- Urges establishment of a dedicated capital investment fund for older adult facilities to address infrastructure issues
- Advocates for expansion of case management and financial case management services to meet growing demand
- Emphasizes the need for consistent annual cost of living adjustments for human service workers
Atrice Wildman
3:19:35
Good afternoon Chairperson Hudson and members of the committee.
3:19:39
My name is Ortise Wouwelman.
3:19:40
I'm a social caseworker at Encore Community Services, one of New York City's largest providers of aging services.
3:19:47
Thank you for this opportunity to testify today about the urgent need for increased funding to support our city's older adults.
3:19:54
ANCO provides more than 750,000 meals to older New Yorkers annually through home delivery and at our older adult centers.
3:20:03
However, the city's current funding only supports a single meal per day leaving thousands at risk of food insecurity.
3:20:11
One in five older New Yorkers struggles with hunger and for many the meal we provide is their only source of daily nutrition.
3:20:19
We urge the council to increase meal funding to provide three meals daily for older adults in need.
3:20:25
Furthermore, the city's reimbursement rates must reflect actual cost of food and operations particularly from weekend meals.
3:20:34
Despite a modest f y twenty three twenty four increase, inflation and rising costs have outpaced the current reimbursement structure.
3:20:43
A sustainable funding model ensures that older adults have consistent access to fresh nutritious food.
3:20:51
New Yorkers older adult centers are aging alongside their members.
3:20:56
At Encore, we struggle with outdated infrastructure including malfunctioning elevators and deteriorating HVAC systems, which are unacceptable conditions for facilities that serve as emergency cooling centers and daily lifeline for older adults.
3:21:12
The department for the agents capital budget is simply insufficient to meet the growing needs of our centers.
3:21:18
We call on the council to establish a dedicated capital investment fund within New York City Aging to ensure our city's older adult facilities remain safe, functional, and welcoming.
3:21:30
Strategic investment now will prevent costly emergency repairs in the future and improve the daily lives of thousands of older adults.
3:21:39
Case management and financial case management are critical services that help older adults navigate public benefits, rental assistance, medical expenses, and provide economic stability.
3:21:51
The need for these services is increasing particularly as more older adults face housing instability, struggle with medical costs, and deal with rising living expenses on fixed incomes.
3:22:04
The demand for these services far exceeds our staffing capacity.
3:22:08
We urge the council to allocate additional resources to expand case management services and invest in financial case management programs that help older adults remain in stable financial and financially secure.
3:22:22
Last year the mayor and the council made an essential step toward ensuring human service workers are paid a living wage.
3:22:29
Still we remain among the lowest paid of any sector in the city.
3:22:34
This issue is personal to me and my colleagues.
3:22:37
It's the difference between barely scraping by and having a chance to get ahead.
3:22:42
As you know, this disproportionately impacts women and people of color who compose most of the human services workforce.
3:22:50
Consistent annual cost of living adjustments for human service workers should not be optional.
3:22:56
Thank you for your time and your commitment to older adults.
Crystal Hudson
3:22:59
Thank you so much.