New York Metropolis’s older inhabitants—now greater than 3.5 million folks—is rising sooner than another age group. But, as an alternative of investing within the well-being of those that constructed this metropolis and made it nice, Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed Govt Finances for Fiscal Yr 2026 threatens to desert them at a time after they want extra help, not much less.
The Mayor is proposing a devastating $100 million in cuts that might shut the doorways of as many as 60 older grownup facilities throughout town—eliminating very important providers that hold older adults wholesome, engaged, and linked to their communities. This unacceptable and ageist resolution would depart hundreds of older adults—a lot of whom depend on these facilities for meals, help, and social connection—and not using a security web of their time of want.
These cuts couldn’t come at a worse time. Town’s 65-and-over inhabitants grew by 34% between 2012 and 2022. In the meantime, the variety of older New Yorkers dwelling under the poverty line has surged by 33.6% over the previous decade. These statistics paint a stark image: older adults face rising financial hardship, and now town is poised to remove essential providers that assist them survive.
Older grownup facilities are lifelines. They supply nutritious meals, social engagement, and entry to important assets, together with well being and wellness applications. In Brooklyn, on the Bay Ridge Heart for Older Adults, older adults collect for train lessons, communal meals, and well being screenings, all of which assist them stay impartial and wholesome. Closing this heart would imply depriving a whole lot of older adults of those important providers.
In Queens, the Rochdale Village Senior Heart in Jamaica has been a cornerstone of the group, serving a whole lot of meals every month to residents who would in any other case go hungry. Almost 90% of those that obtain meals via older grownup facilities say that this help helps them stay in their very own properties. Shuttering these facilities would improve isolation and meals insecurity, additional straining metropolis assets.
In the meantime, in East Harlem, the Carter Burden Community Leonard Covello Older Grownup Heart presents culturally inclusive applications and social providers that mirror the variety of its members. Many attendees depend on it not just for meals but additionally for instructional workshops and help with advantages navigation. The closure of this heart would disproportionately affect low-income, immigrant, and minority older adults who already face greater charges of poverty and financial insecurity.
These closures are usually not simply numbers on a spreadsheet—they symbolize actual losses for actual folks. Over half of the older grownup inhabitants in New York reported no retirement revenue in 2022. Reducing funding for older grownup facilities will solely exacerbate the monetary insecurity disaster looming over our metropolis.
Mayor Adams and the Metropolis Council should handle this essential funding hole. Investing in older grownup providers isn’t a burden; it’s a necessity. Older New Yorkers constructed this metropolis, they usually need to age with dignity within the communities they name dwelling. We urge our elected officers to completely fund these important applications and reject any finances that places older adults in danger.
A finances is a press release of priorities. By slashing funding for older grownup facilities, Mayor Adams is sending a transparent message: older New Yorkers are usually not a precedence. This isn’t simply an oversight—it’s a deliberate and discriminatory coverage resolution that ignores the wants of our metropolis’s growing older inhabitants.
New York’s older inhabitants is rising, and we should develop with them. It’s time for the Mayor to acknowledge that investing in older adults is an funding in the way forward for our metropolis.
