Assembly Committees Explore Poverty Among Seniors

The New York State Assembly Committee on Social Services is using the off-season to get a better understanding of poverty among New Yorkers, with the hope of proposing realistic and effective solutions during the upcoming legislative session.

The Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, D-Queens, recently held a joint hearing with the Committee on Aging, seeking a better understanding of poverty among senior citizens. The hearing, held in Albany on Nov. 18th, was also jointly sponsored by the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, the Subcommittee on Community Integration and the Subcommittee on Outreach and Oversight of Senior Citizen Programs.

Aging Chair Stephen Cymbrowitz, D-Brooklyn said, “After all that our seniors have done for us, it is imperative that we do more to ensure that their later years are truly golden ones. We need to understand the impact of the assistance we currently offer. What’s working and what isn’t? Where do we need to go further?”

The first witness to testify was Greg Olsen, Executive Director of the NYS Office for the Aging (NYSOFA). He was followed by representatives of AARP, UJA Federation of NY, the NY StateWide Senior Action Council and others.

LeadingAge New York’s senior policy analyst John Broderick testified on behalf of the organization’s members. “The Silver Tsunami is no longer way off shore – it’s right on the horizon,” he said.

“There is an extensive network of organizations that provide care, support and shelter to the elders of New York State,” Broderick said. “These organizations are located in all of your districts in all parts of the State. They serve the people of your districts.

But this network is stretched thin. Even without the impending population boom in this age range, the demand for housing and services far outpaces available resources. As you in the Assembly begin to establish your budget and policy priorities for the coming session, we hope that you will keep in mind this network of people and organizations that provide care for elders in their communities.”

The LeadingAge NY testimony emphasized the need to grow senior housing and service opportunities for seniors, so that they might age safely in their homes. He also emphasized the importance of increasing the state portion of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rate for Adult Care Facilities, which hasn’t had an increase in eight years and remains at a woeful $41 per day.

The full testimony is available by clicking here. A videotaped recording of the entire hearing is available here with the LeadingAge NY presentation starting at about 2:09.

Contact: Dylan Wrixon, 518-867-8383, dwrixon@leadingageny.org