Mayor de Blasio Must Properly Fund Meal Programs
Caribbean L 42 ife, June 7–13, 2019
“Without my senior center,
I would have no food to
eat.”
That’s a direct quote
from a senior who wrote
the New York City Department
for the Aging about
dependence on meal programs
at senior centers.
This senior is not alone.
Across New York City, hundreds
of thousands turn to
senior centers and home delivered
meals to meet their
daily nutritional needs. In
fact, more than half (56%)
of New York City’s seniors
report that the meals they
eat at senior centers account
for their primary
daily food and nutrient intake.
These meals are key to
preventing seniors from going
hungry. The need cannot
be stressed enough.
And yet for years, City
Hall has not been providing
adequate funding to
keep pace with the growing
demand for - and cost of - senior
meals programs. And
the nonprofit organizations
around New York that prepare
and serve these vital
meals have been forced
to fill a multimillion dollar
funding gap created by
City Hall.
Currently, the Department
for the Aging overall
budget accounts for less
than 1% of the total City
budget. That insufficient
funding is only exacerbated
by the fact that aging New
Yorkers make up the fastest
growing demographic
- while the percentage of seniors
living in poverty has
increased, especially in the
Bronx, where 28 percent of
seniors now live below the
poverty level.
The problems of poverty,
health and livability
are even worse for seniors
of color, according to findings
from a report AARP
New York released last
year titled, “Disrupting
Disparities: Solutions for
New Yorkers Age 50+”
With the fast-growing
population and poverty
numbers comes the need
for more meals. In the last
three years alone, there has
been a 20 percent increase
in the number of seniors
accessing meals. And those
meals have become more
expensive, increasing 18
percent in the last decade.
But here’s the kicker: New
York City spends 20 percent
below the national average
on senior meals, despite the
fact the everything is more
expensive in the city.
We recently joined senior
advocacy organizations
LiveOn NY and Project
FIND to call on Mayor
de Blasio to increase funding
by $35 million to cover
the full cost of the approximately
13 million meals
that are served annually at
senior centers and through
home delivered meals.
Every senior deserves
access to a quality, nutritious
meal. Kitchen staff
and senior center professionals
responsible for ensuring
the availability of
these meals must be paid
a competitive, living wage
(they mostly have not received
raises in many
years). And nonprofits
shouldn’t be forced to cover
the gaps left by the city’s
inadequate funding. These
basic investments are integral
to ensuring the dignity
of New York’s older
adults and to promoting a
fair city for all ages.
We are committed to
ensuring New Yorkers can
age safely – and with dignity
– in our city. We want
an age-friendly city that
cares for its seniors. We
won’t stop the pressure on
Mayor de Blasio until he
does the right thing for all
seniors across New York.
For America’s richest
city, it is not too much to
ask of City Hall.
for Senior Citizens