Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kevin Kiprovski, Director of Public Policy at Live On New York, on the NYC Aging Budget
4:45:24
·
161 sec
Kevin Kiprovski from Live On New York testified on the NYC aging budget, expressing gratitude for avoiding a fiscal cliff but emphasizing the need for increased investment in the aging services system to meet current and future needs of older adults in the city.
- Called for $500 million investment in Older Adult Center State of Good Repair to ensure centers can remain open and expand services
- Requested $44 million for expanded case management to address higher needs clients and reach more people
- Advocated for $78 million in increased nutritional support, including $21 million to fully fund weekend meals as proposed in Council Member Lee's intro
Kevin Kiprovski
4:45:24
Good afternoon.
4:45:26
My name is Kevin Kuprowski and I'm director of public policy for Live On New York.
4:45:30
Thank you all for the opportunity to testify on the aging budget today.
4:45:33
Live On New York's members include more than 110 community based nonprofits that provide core services under the NYC aging portfolio and many other home and community based services in our city.
4:45:43
First of all, we're really grateful that the fiscal cliff is filled.
4:45:46
That would have been a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions in the city with 90 centers closing, so we're really glad to be past that.
4:45:53
But even in the case where we maintain the status quo, our system is not prepared for the current needs and is definitely not prepared for the increase in needs that we will be seeing in the aging population in our city in the next five to ten years.
4:46:05
Right now the Center for the Urban Future and AARP have published a report that shows that over 50% of older adults in our city have no retirement income at all.
4:46:15
None whatsoever.
4:46:16
And one of the only systems providing them services is the New York City aging older adult system to get meals, to assist with their food, and our city funds that mostly with city tax levy funding.
4:46:26
It is one of the most incredible systems in the country.
4:46:28
I know that I've spoken to a lot of other aging providers in the country.
4:46:31
We have a great one, but unfortunately we are not investing in it enough to ensure that it stays viable for the future and will be able to meet expanding need.
4:46:40
Second, our own housing report from Live On shows that older adults are becoming homeless at a rate three times higher the younger demographics due to skyrocketing rents.
4:46:47
And one of the biggest ways that people stay in their homes is by getting services from you know the city to prevent them from being evicted.
4:46:53
And again older adult centers are one of the places where people can get these services.
4:46:57
We're going to call with a bunch of our other members for three major areas of investment.
4:47:03
One, dollars five hundred million for OAC State of Good Repair.
4:47:06
That's every older adult center in the city ensuring that it can remain open and ensuring that its services can grow and meet the needs of a city that will be expanding its older adult population by 25% in just five years.
4:47:19
Two, forty four million for expanded case management.
4:47:22
As we heard the commissioner say, higher needs clients are taking more resources which means fewer people are getting the services they need.
4:47:29
We need to expand those contracts to include more case managers, more intake staff, and more resources so that we're meeting the needs our city has today and the needs that we will have.
4:47:37
And the last one is 78,000,000 for increased nutritional support.
4:47:40
There's been no investment to meet any of the inflationary cost demands on providers for the last five years.
4:47:47
And also we are seeing a need to fully fund weekend meals with council member Lee's intro.
4:47:52
We would not want to see an unfunded mandate that puts providers in a terrible position, so we're calling for 21,000,000 additional dollars to make sure that that is funded fully throughout seven days a week for all meals.
4:48:03
Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify.