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BRONX TIMES R 44 REPORTER, FEB. 4-10, 2022 BTR
‘What New Yorkers 50 Deserve’ lays out
fresh blueprint for NYC lawmakers
Photo courtesy Getty Images
From ways to fi ght age discrimination
to installing elevators at more subway
stations, “What New Yorkers 50+
Deserve,” released by AARP New York,
is a groundbreaking and fi rst-ever policy
guide fi lled with recommendations
to help city offi cials address these and
other vital issues facing older New York
City residents.
“This book is meant as a North
Star—a model to help the new administration
make sure that the needs of
people 50-plus are met—because they
are often overlooked,” said AARP New
York State Director Beth Finkel. “They
helped build our city and make it the
great place that it is.”
“With this guide, the Mayor and everyone
in city government can help New
Yorkers 50-plus live their best lives,”
Finkel added. “We’re talking about
750,000 New York City AARP members
and who have suffered during the pandemic
due to their vulnerability to the
virus, housing costs and inadequate coordination
of services among agencies.”
The 60-page policy book—the fi rstever
guide from AARP NY—contains
80 recommendations to improve life for
the city’s residents, including empowering
a deputy mayor to lead the charge
to safeguard older residents and ensure
they are aware of all services available
to them. AARP staff created this blueprint
because a clear and comprehensive
plan for New York’s 50-plus was
long overdue. The policy book also underscores
that the New York City Department
for the Aging receives less
than one percent of the city budget
when 20% of New York City residents
are age 65 and older.
The book draws on AARP research
and policy work, including “Disrupting
Racial & Ethnic Disparities,” a series of
policy briefs detailing substantial challenges
faced by older New Yorkers.
Older adults are the driving force in
New York City’s economy, cultural life
and civic engagement. They account
for the city’s biggest volunteer base and
represent the largest voter turnout bloc.
Yet they face signifi cant hardships. For
example, 78% of workers aged 40-65 say
they have seen or experienced age discrimination
in the workplace. More
than half of city voters age 50-plus are
concerned about affordable housing. A
lack of accessible transportation has
disproportionately affected 50-plus
Black, Latino and Asian New Yorkers.
And 42% of New Yorkers age 65-plus
lack internet access—nearly double the
23% of those age 18 to 24.
Recommendations in the policy
book include:
Updating the city’s zoning codes and
planning processes to require more affordable
senior housing;
Prohibiting online job application
systems that require age information
unless the employer can demonstrate
need for that information;
Renaming the Department for The
Aging to refl ect the vibrancy of New
York’s older adults;
Offering Human Resources Administration
training so older adults can
easily navigate and apply for the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP);
Expanding and improving zoning
rules that allow the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority to leverage
private development to build elevators
at more New York City Transit stations,
and throughout Staten Island Railway,
Long Island Railroad, and Metro-North
stations;
Devoting more pedestrian-friendly
street space, building upon the successes
of the Open Streets program;
Expanding geriatric mental health
services to every NYC Health + Hospitals
facility.
Establishing a New York City Caregiver
Tax Credit for unpaid family caregivers,
who often spend thousands of
dollars a year caring for loved ones.
Fully funding the City’s fi ve-year
Community Care Plan, which expands
access to senior centers and aging-related
services in underserved communities.
“What New Yorkers 50+ Deserve”
is available online at www.aarp.org/
nycpolicybook. AARP staff and volunteers
will share hard copies of the book
and meet with leaders across the city to
discuss policy solutions and push for increased
support and attention to the issues
and recommendations outlined in
the policy book.
-Bronx Times
Est. 1940
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