FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 3, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
‘What New Yorkers 50+ Deserve’ lays out fresh blueprint for NYC lawmakers
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.
“Th is 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 oft en overlooked,” said
AARP New York State Director
Beth Finkel. “Th ey 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 who have suff ered during
the pandemic due to their
vulnerability to the virus, housing
costs and inadequate coordination
of services among agencies.”
Th e 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. Th e 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.
Photo via Getty Images
Th e 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. Th ey 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 aff ordable housing. A
lack of accessible transportation
has disproportionately aff ected
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 aff ordable
senior housing;
• Prohibiting online job application
systems that require
age information unless the
employer can demonstrate
need for that information;
• Renaming the Department for
Th e Aging to refl ect the vibrancy
of New York’s older adults;
• Off ering 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 pedestrianfriendly
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
oft en spend thousands of dollars
a year caring for loved
ones.
• Fully funding the City’s fi veyear
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.
L & T LAW: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
By: Janet Nina Esagoff, Esq.
On January 15, 2022, the COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2020 and
COVID-19 Emergency Protect Our Small Business Act of 2020 expired. Now, to the satisfaction of property
owners, both residential and commercial eviction proceedings can finally move forward. During the early
period of the pandemic, landlords and property owners were stayed from proceeding in housing courts, due
to shutdowns and then, the filing of hardship affidavits from holdover and defaulting tenants in possession.
Tenants were not required to demonstrate hardship, creating havoc. As courts ramp back up, many landlords
are challenging hardship declarations. Courts are slowly moving cases, but due to understaffing, new laws
and other challenges, there are huge caseloads on the docket. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program
(ERAP) is one newer statutory roll out that has saved many from eviction. Landlords cannot evict until ERAP
is decided, which can take months. Once a tenant qualifies, a landlord can agree to accept funds in exchange
for a one- year lease, or decline and proceed with eviction. Many tenants appeal an adverse ERAP decision,
adding more delay to the timeline.
What is par during this “new normal”?
The consensus is that the status quo favors most tenants, while landlords have no choice but to stay the course and either negotiate
settlements, i.e. cash for keys and rent waivers, or push for trial dates. As usual, it could take months or years for a marshal to start the
process of a forcible eviction, and tenants know the drill to go to court and apply for an order to show cause to stay evictions post-trial. So,
property owners must continue to litigate to see progress on their cases, including making motions for default judgments and applying, and
re-applying for warrants of eviction. A motion and/or a conference must be held in order for the landlord to be allowed to execute upon a
warrant that was issued prior to March 16, 2020 through September 2, 2021. If a warrant of eviction was issued after September 2, 2021, no
motion or conference is needed in order to execute.
Is there any good news? Yes, due to modern technologies now utilized by the court system, there are new efficiencies in place. Court clerks
and judges are utilizing email to communicate directly with law offices. Microsoft Teams appearances streamline court hearings, conferences
and adjournments. In some ways, cases are moving a bit faster, and at a lower cost due to fewer in-person court appearances required
by housing attorneys.
Esagoff Law Group is a dynamic Queens County law firm that offers free consultations and flat fees to individuals and businesses alike.
Janet Nina Esagoff is the managing partner of the Real Estate Litigation Dept and is available to answer your questions.
Call her at 1-844-4 LAWFIX
LAW. DIFFERENTLY. • 917 Northern Boulevard, Great Neck, NY 11021 • Office: (516) 304-5944 • Fax: (844) 400-7770 • www.esagofflaw.com
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