#AgeInPlaceNYC

New York City’s population of older adults, which currently represents 20% of our city’s entire population, will only grow as the Baby Boomer generation ages (older adults are our future!). A 2021 CUNY Graduate Center study reports that the population of adults ages 65 and older in New York State will soar 25% between 2021 and 2040, compared to just three percent growth in the general population. In New York City alone, the number of older adults is expected to jump 40% by 2040, especially as New Yorkers are living longer. Simply put, we should have prepared for an aging New York decades ago.

We’ve failed time and again, but it's not too late to turn the tide and make New York City a place where every older adult can age in place with dignity.

After working with groups like AARP, LiveOn NY, the Asian American Federation, other members of the New York City Council and more to identify key issues facing older adults and brainstorm solutions, Crystal crafted the #AgeInPlaceNYC legislative package. The package includes:

Int. 673 (Hudson): Entitle any New Yorker age 60+ facing eviction or termination of tenancy in housing court to full legal representation at no cost and require DFTA to create a housing support program for older adults (PASSED)

Int. 674 (Hudson): Require DFTA to create a know your rights pamphlet for older adults (PASSED)

Int. 672 (Hudson): Require DFTA to identify the communities served by each older adult center and the prevalent spoken languages of each such community, and to notify each older adult center of such prevalent spoken languages at least once annually (PASSED)

Int. 676 (Hudson): Require the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to develop a list of universal design features and require that a developer who receives City financial assistance incorporate universal design in all dwelling units in a new housing development project (PASSED)

Int. 675 (Hudson): Mandate that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) create a telemedicine accessibility plan to improve the availability and accessibility of portable monitoring devices and telehealth devices for populations that could be better served by telemedicine services (PASSED)

Int. 665 (Gutiérrez): Require DFTA, in collaboration with the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT), to create a digital literacy training program for older adults

Int. 255 (Hudson): Create a citywide online system for tenants to apply and renew Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) Program and the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) Program benefits

Int. 564 (Cabán): Establish a commission for LGBTQIA+ older adults within DFTA to identify challenges, share best practices, and develop expert recommendations on ways to improve the quality of life of LGBTQIA+ older adults

Int. 945 (Hudson): Require Department for the Aging and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications to develop a technical support program to serve older adults.

Res 236 (Cabán): Support the state in passing legislation to allow New York City to establish an automatic enrollment program for eligible older adults to be automatically enrolled or automatically re-enrolled in the SCRIE program