Mayor Adams’ Executive Budget Cutting Millions From Programs For Aging

Updated on: May 22, 2023

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Photos\Graphics: Office of Council Member Crystal Hudson

The following is a press statement released by New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson last week regarding Mayor Eric Adams’ executive budget.

Executive budget hearings are underway! What this means is that all throughout May the Council will hear testimony from Commissioners of City Agencies and ask the Administration questions about its recently released Executive Budget.

Crystal’s Response to the Mayor’s Executive Budget

And just this morning, Crystal presided over the Council’s Executive Budget Hearing for the Committee on Aging, which she chairs. Here are some key takeaways from the Administration’s testimony this morning:

NYC Aging is seeing a cut of more than $70 million in FY24 compared to last year’s adopted budget, threatening the efficacy of vital resources and services upon which thousands of older New Yorkers rely. In total, the agency’s $469 million budget is less than one half of one percent of the City’s proposed $106.7 billion budget for next year.

The Administration allocated $0 (no, that’s not a typo) in funding to meet priorities the Council outlined in our April budget response. These priorities included $18 million to fully fund the Home Delivered Meals (HDM) program to meet both the rising costs associated with inflation and the need to fully fund weekend and holiday meals so no older adult goes hungry, and $51 million to support older adult centers and cover inflation costs for in-person congregate meals and expand NYC Aging’s outreach efforts. Neither increased funding for home delivered meals nor for outreach improvements was included despite the Commissioner of NYC Aging testifying today that the FY24 budget will not allow it to meet any increased demand for services without additional funding. In a city where the older adult population is projected to grow by 40% in the next 15 years, these decisions are indefensible.

READ: ‘NYC set to slash millions in home delivered meals program for seniors’

We also heard the Administration explain the Mayor’s decision to implement $7 million in cuts to older adult center (OAC) meals in FY24. At the same time that the mayor is trying to slash investment for these services, the Commissioner testified that should OAC utilization grow, which NYC Aging suspects will be the case as it is ramping up a campaign to get older adults back to OACs, it will need more funding to meet the need.

Despite serving almost a fifth of the City’s population, NYC Aging’s budget is not reflective of New Yorker’s true needs. It’s clear we have the money and don’t need to plan for the worst just yet. Just today, the Independent Budget Office projected an additional $2.1 billion surplus in city revenues. It’s at this moment that we need to prioritize our neighbors and invest in the resources and services that keep our communities whole. We need to prepare for the impending demographic shift our city will experience. We must ensure no older adult goes hungry or without assistance because our mayor failed to prioritize our older neighbors––those that made our beloved city what it is today.

The general public will have the opportunity to offer testimony on Wednesday, May 24. To learn more about how to testify, click here. In addition to Aging, the Council will hold Executive Budget Hearings for Public Safety and Fire, Cultural Affairs, Criminal Justice, Public Housing, and Transportation. The full hearing schedule can be found here.