‘What New Yorkers 50 Deserve’ lays out fresh
blueprint for New York City lawmakers
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COURIER LIFE, FEBRUARY 4-10, 2022 19
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 rst-ever 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
percent 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 percent 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 percent of New Yorkers
age 65-plus lack internet access—nearly double the 23
percent 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; Fully funding the City’s fi ve-year
Community Care Plan, which expands access to
senior centers and aging-related services in underserved
communities; and more.
“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.
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Commissioner
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