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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Justine Tetteh, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
2:26:55
ยท
156 sec
Justine Tetteh, representing Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, expresses concern about the impact of budget cuts on older adult services in New York City. She emphasizes the growing needs of the aging population and the importance of maintaining and expanding services provided by older adult centers.
- Lenox Hill Neighborhood House offers comprehensive services including older adult centers, caregiver programs, and social adult day programs.
- The organization is worried about the potential $100 million budget cut in fiscal year 2026 and its impact on home-delivered meals, case management, and capital funding.
- Tetteh stresses that older adult centers provide more than just meals, serving as crucial hubs for community building, health education, and resource connection.
Justine Tetteh
2:26:55
Good afternoon Chair Hudson and esteemed members of the Committee on Aging.
2:26:58
My name is Justine Tete and I'm the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, a 131 year old settlement house that serves over 17,000 members per year.
2:27:08
Today I'm here on behalf of my colleagues or clients and communities served by the Neighborhood House and our organization has dedicated decades of diligent work to uplifting aging communities and advocating for increased investment in essential programming.
2:27:21
As our older adult population continues to grow, the Neighborhood House has worked to establish a model of comprehensive integrated services without parallel including two older adult centers bringing farm to table meals, financial assistance, arts and fitness activities, a dedicated social services and benefits advocacy team helping older adult clients with accessing and maintaining government benefits, mental health supports, volunteer opportunities so our members can share their wealth of knowledge and skill with other members, emergency and stipendiary grants and more.
2:27:52
We also offer a caregiver program for unpaid caregivers, as well as a care program which is a social adult day program.
2:27:59
As the community continues to expand and the needs for services continues to escalate, our older adult services will remain the core of our work for years to come.
2:28:09
Our organization and many organizations here testifying today are concerned about the impact of New York City Aging's budget cuts, particularly on how these cuts will impact access to care, resources, meals and socialization at older adult centers across the city.
2:28:24
Our communities face mounting challenges and many older adults rely on community based programs to maintain their independence and quality of life.
2:28:31
With the needs of our older adults growing, the need for programming and services at OACs are also growing.
2:28:37
And a cut to the budget of over $100,000,000 in fiscal year twenty six will have grave results on our aging services making it difficult to maintain home delivered opportunities, case management and essential capital funding.
2:28:50
Our aging population depends on older adult centers for more than just meals.
2:28:54
They depend on the centers for central which is central for community building, companionship, improved health and wellness education and connection to necessary resources like affordable housing and public assistance.
2:29:07
Lenox Hill Neighborhood House remains committed to enhancing best practices to support older adults.
2:29:12
Our community of older adults is the heart of our advocacy work, and continued investment in older adult services is a necessity to sustaining our community for generations to come.
2:29:22
I believe we can all say that we all remain united in our request to ensure that older adults continue to have the support and dignity they deserve.
2:29:30
Thank you so much.
Crystal Hudson
2:29:31
Thank you.