Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Marcus Jackson, Aging Friendly Community Officer from Encore Community Services
3:36:45
·
105 sec
Marcus Jackson from Encore Community Services testified about food insecurity among older adults in New York City. He highlighted the critical role of Encore's home-delivered meal program and urged for expanded funding to provide three meals a day, seven days a week, to every older adult in need.
- Encore delivers over 750,000 meals annually to homebound, medically fragile older adults
- Current city funding only covers one meal a day for five days a week, leaving seniors hungry on weekends
- Jackson called for increased reimbursement rates to cover rising food, labor, and delivery costs
- He emphasized the importance of financial case management in preventing hunger among older adults
Marcus Jackson
3:36:45
afternoon, members of the general welfare committee.
3:36:49
My name is Marcus Jackson, and I serve as the aging friendly community officer for Encore Community Services.
3:36:55
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on food insecurity among older adults.
3:37:00
Encore operates one of the largest home delivered meal programs, more than 750,000 meals annually to older adults who are homebound, medically fragile, and often entirely alone.
3:37:13
For many, the meals we deliver is their only source of daily nutrition.
3:37:18
But the city currently only funds one meal a day for five days a week.
3:37:23
This leaves thousands of older adults hungry over the weekends and undernourished every day.
3:37:29
We're urging the council to expand meal funding to provide three meals per day, seven days per week, to every older adult who needs it.
3:37:37
We also need reimbursement rates that actually cover, providers real costs.
3:37:42
Food prices, labor, and delivery expenses have all increased but funding hasn't and has kept, the same throughout.
3:37:51
Without action, providers like Encore will be forced to make impossible decisions about what we can and can't afford to deliver.
3:37:59
Finally, nutrition is only one part.
3:38:02
Our financial case managers help older adults apply for SNAP, manage health care bills, and access rent relief.
3:38:09
They're essential to preventing hunger before it starts.
3:38:12
Expanding funding for financial case management must be a part of the city's hunger response.
3:38:18
Oncra has been serving older adults for nearly fifty years.
3:38:21
We know what it takes to prevent hunger and it starts with fully funding the programs at work.
3:38:27
Thank you for your time and for your commitment to this issue.