Investing In Our City's Seniors

Investing in our City's Seniors

Dear New Yorker,

This past month the New York Council adopted a balanced, fiscally responsible budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 that will help make our city more fair and just while uplifting New Yorkers in every neighborhood across the five boroughs.

Balancing the City’s finances with smart investments that prioritize public safety, protect vulnerable New Yorkers and bolster job creation, the FY 2016 adopted budget includes funding to: 

• Implement six-day library service across the City;
• Strengthen community policing and put more police officers on the streets;
• Support New York City’s veterans, with a doubling of funding for the Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs and increased support for homeless veterans; and 
• Ensure that parks throughout the City, especially those in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, are being properly maintained.

We are also happy to report that the FY 2016 Budget contains $31.7 million in funding to expand services to our city's rapidly growing and diverse aging community. 

This includes $4.8 million to eliminate waitlists for the Department for the Aging's homecare program, $1.27 million to create a new City Council initiative that will support healthy aging, $3.8 million for all types of naturally occurring retirement communities, and $1.5 million to assist  Holocaust survivors living in poverty. 

(For a complete look at the programs and initiatives funded in the FY 2016 adopted budget, please visit http://council.nyc.gov/html/budget/2016/skedcf.pdf). 

Our thanks to everyone who fought hard to help win these important budget victories!

Once again, seniors and senior advocates played a critical role in this year's budget process, testifying at hearings, participating in Advocacy Day at City Hall, and making phone calls to their local Council Members as part of LiveOn NY's "Fair Share for Seniors" budget advocacy campaign.

That sort of grassroots activism and energy has been a major driving force for change in communities all across the country – and it's something that we need to continue harnessing in our own work here in the City.  

In fact, if you haven't had a chance to yet, we would like to personally invite you to sign-up for Council Enews.  That way, we can stay connected and engaged with you and other New Yorkers as we continue working together to help make New York a more fair and just city for all.  It should only take a minute or two to sign up at http://www.council.nyc.gov/html/action/enews.shtml. 

Thank you! 

Sincerely,


New York City Council