You may not have noticed it, but we have recently seen a major demographic shift in New York City. According to a report from the Center for an Urban Future, New York City’s 65-and-over population grew by 36 percent – or more than 363,000 people between 2011 and 2021. Today our city is home to 1.3 million older adults – that’s nearly the entire population of the Bronx!
Older adults are a tremendous asset to our city. They play a vital role as a driving force in our economy, cultural life and volunteer base. But they face unique challenges as well. As the older adult population has increased, the number of older New Yorkers living below the poverty line grew by over 37 percent, while the number living in the shelter system tripled. Additionally, a recent AARP survey found that 78 percent of respondents aged 40 to 65 reported having seen or experienced age discrimination.
Unfortunately, the issues older adults face has largely been ignored by policymakers. That’s why AARP New York City has released “What Older New Yorkers Deserve,” an in-depth blueprint offering recommendations to tackle the challenges facing New Yorkers 50-plus. New York City leaders should use it as a roadmap to ensure older New Yorkers can continue to enhance the city.
The report lays out clear steps that elected officials can take on a range of issues to make the city more age-friendly. They include expanding eligibility for the Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption and Disability Rent Increase Exemption so more older adults can remain in their homes; tackling food insecurity by increasing funding for home-delivered meals programs; developing a NYC Caregiver Tax Credit for those providing direct care to a loved one; and other ideas to address ageism in the workplace, make public transit more accessible, improve older adult centers and enhance pedestrian safety.
While the city should embrace new ideas to help older adults thrive, we also need to make sure older New Yorkers are able to access existing programs that they are entitled to. Many of our neighbors who are eligible for assistance are not receiving it because of a lack of awareness or bureaucratic red tape. Statewide, New York is losing out on an estimated $4.4 billion in economic stimulus because residents aren’t enrolled in benefits they qualify for.
That’s why the MyCity portal needs to be made available to older adults immediately. The portal, which was launched by Mayor Adams, informs users applying for a specific government assistance program about other programs for which they may qualify.
MyCity is currently only available to parents and caregivers applying for childcare. Expanding it to older adults would help them access hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of federal benefits such as SNAP and the recently expanded Medicare Savings Program, bringing money into our local economy and making a real impact in the lives of older adults.
New Yorkers 50-plus helped build our city and make it great. They deserve to happily grow older in the communities they love. As the city budget process plays out, the Mayor and City Council must develop clear plans to make our city more age-friendly, so New Yorkers age 50-plus can continue to enhance our communities.
Beth Finkel is the State Director of AARP New York.
