FY 2027 Preliminary Budget Hearing

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Good afternoon and welcome to today's New York City Council hearing for the Committee on Aging. If you would like to testify, you must fill out a witness slip with one of the sergeant-at-arms, even if you signed up already. At this time, please silence all electronic devices and no one may approach. Chair, we are ready to begin.

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Thank you. Good afternoon. I am CM Susan Zhuang. I serve as chair of the Committee on Aging. It is an honor to be chairing my first budget hearing on the fiscal 2027 preliminary budget for the New York City Department for the Aging, also known as NYC Aging. Thank you to DFTA's new appointed commissioner. Welcome, Lisa Scott McKenzie, for joining us. We are joined by CM Schulman and CM Aldebol. That is it, right. Following testimony and questions with NYC Aging, we will hear testimony from the public at approximately 2:30. Thank you to the older adults, advocates and those who joined us today. I will keep my comments here brief and I request the commissioner keep your oral testimony brief too so we can move on to questions from Council members.

I would like to share that we are starting a new tradition in the aging committee where at every single hearing we will show a picture of an issue seniors are facing. It is essential that we are here. Today we have a picture of one of the senior centers in a NYCHA building. From last testimony, they said it is pouring when it is raining outside — it is pouring inside. Those are the pictures. The next time we will have a better board and put it behind me. Look at the hole on the wall. Big hole on the wall. This is a situation our seniors are facing every day. It is essential that we here on the Council and at NYC Aging come face to face with the real issues seniors deal with that affect their lives every day. Every day seniors and the people who serve them are forced to exist in those conditions. We must hold all agencies accountable, not only just NYC Aging. So I am committed to you today — we will hold up an image at every hearing so no one can deny reality. Seeing this will convey the urgency and seriousness of the situation.

Older adults and the older adult provider network have faced challenges in the past few years due to the pandemic and budgetary constraints as well as inflation and increased cost of living. I look forward to working collaboratively with providers and the administration to help the City's 1.8 million older adults overcome those challenges. NYC Aging has a critical role to play in accessing and meeting the needs of older adults and collaborating with the provider network and the City Council. We must harness best practices and create innovative approaches to best serve our City's growing population of older adults.

NYC Aging's fiscal 2027 preliminary budget is 573.5 million, which is approximately 32 million less than the fiscal 2026 adopted budget, as the Council's discretionary initiative funding is not yet included for fiscal 2027. Despite serving almost 20% of the City's population, NYC Aging's budget continues to account for less than 1% of the City's overall budget, which is simply not sufficient to meet the needs of our older adults in the City. The preliminary budget includes two minor new needs to more accurately budget for expected costs for the indirect cost rate and the cost of living adjustment for human service contracts, but none for direct services or programs for older adults. As chair of this committee, I look forward to working alongside the administration to come up with new ways to create, fund and implement new and expanded services for older adults.

NYC Aging's capital commitment plan, the smallest in the City, totals 75.9 million over fiscal 2026 to 2030, which covers over 300 older adult centers, promising about 40 centers in the NYC Aging network. This funding is insufficient to properly address all infrastructure needs. I believe the capital program should be enhanced to help refurbish centers, improve kitchens and connect older adults to much-needed technology and resources. In addition, DFTA should advocate for additional capital funding to be added in HPD's budget to create more affordable older adult housing units across the City. It is a big priority of mine as older adults are struggling with rising rents and a lack of accessible, affordable older-adult-friendly units across the five boroughs.

In today's hearing we would like to get a deeper understanding of NYC Aging's expense budget, its capital plan, the impact of its service metrics that are used and the key agency services and programs including case management, home delivered meals and older adult center programs. We would also like to delve into metrics reported for NYC Aging in the fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor's Management Report.

I would like to thank committee staff who have helped prepare this hearing: Simo Hamid, senior financial analyst; Julia K. Haramus, assistant director; Christopher Pepe, senior legislative counsel; Joshua Newman, policy analyst; and the majority staff, Kayn Oric, deputy chief of staff, and Jennifer Thorp Moscow, director of budget and legislation. I am sorry if I pronounced anyone's name incorrectly. English is my second language. I have an excuse. I will now pass the mic to committee counsel to administer the oath to members of the administration.

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Absolutely. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chair Zhuang and members of the Committee

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on Aging. I am Dr. Lisa Scott McKenzie,

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the commissioner of the New York City

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Department for the Aging, NYC Aging.

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Before I go into my testimony, I have to say that viewing photos like the one you showed us a few moments ago — as commissioner, they are dramatic and deeply disturbing. So definitely you will see more from DFTA. Obviously it is not wholly our problem, but we will join forces with all the others such as NYCHA to ensure that our older adults are in safe, functional environments. I have pledged to go out to all 308 of our centers and take a look at what our older adults are experiencing every day. And again, I have said it is not the beautiful sites that I want to see first. I want to go first to those sites that look like what you just showed us. So if you would be so kind, we would definitely invite you to come along with us and advocate for our older adults.

Now I will move into my testimony. I am joined this afternoon by Jose Marcado, our chief financial officer. Thank you for this opportunity to discuss NYC Aging's preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027, FY27. I am speaking to you today on my ninth official day as commissioner for New York City Aging. I am very excited to serve as the head of this agency delivering vital services to nearly two million New Yorkers over the age of 60. We of course do this through our partnership with hundreds of contracted providers across a range of programs and much of our success is due to the relationships we have fostered over the years with these dedicated professionals in aging services. I am proud to bring my years of experience working at New York City Health and Hospitals, most recently as the chief operating officer at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, to this new role. I am committed to bringing the same innovative approach to aging services and pursuit of excellence in the way we serve older New Yorkers to my time as commissioner.

We believe that New York City's older adults have earned the right to age gracefully and with dignity in the communities they have built. Nurturing and fostering that reality for older adults is fundamental to the work of this agency. To support this important work, our FY27 preliminary budget projects 573.5 million in funding, of which 469.5 million is in city funds. This includes allocations to core programs you are all familiar with, including 240.8 million to support older adult centers, 78 million for home delivered meals and 47.4 million for case management. The work done by OACs, HDM programs and our CMA providers combat poverty and financial insecurity while also

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connecting older adults to in-home services, which addresses their needs when struggling with activities of daily living. There are also allocations of 36.5 million to support home care for homebound older adults who are not Medicaid eligible, which allows older New Yorkers to age in place, and 16.3 million for NORC programs, which provide similar services as OACs other than meals, for recreation and combating social isolation, but include nursing services. Finally, 14.2 million for caregiver services, supporting the 1.3 million caregivers and their care receivers in the City, and 7.1 million for transportation services, allowing older adults to be connected to community centers, houses of worship, shopping and medical appointments.

These numbers tell only a portion of the story beyond the services included at NYC Aging and show the human side of what we do to make New York City fully age inclusive. As this administration has made clear, there are key challenges in the City financially and NYC Aging is always prepared to prioritize the needs of older adults and our core aging services while limiting the impacts of these challenges. Nonetheless, we are still keenly aware of these challenges, which have been exacerbated by changes to the federal landscape and the need for continued and increased investment from the state to support the growing number of older adults throughout New York. We also continue to advocate that our state and federal partners share the financial responsibility of serving older New Yorkers living in the City over the current fiscal year.

We are proud of our work done along with the work of our nonprofit partners in addressing some notable recent successes and upcoming items we are looking forward to. In November of 2025, New York City Aging celebrated its 50th anniversary. As the largest area agency on aging in the country, we are proud to be first in a number of accomplishments, including developing the community care plan, creating the cabinet for older New Yorkers and utilizing our platform as an agency to take us from age friendly to age inclusive. New York City Aging's commitment to service and leadership will build a future where every New Yorker can age with dignity and respect.

In FY25, New York City Aging once again hit a post-pandemic record of 10 million meals served to older New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs. This includes 6.1 million meals served at the 300-plus OACs in the network and 4.2 million meals delivered by our HDM providers. As we have said before, when the Older Americans Act was passed more than 60 years ago this July in 1965, a key reason for creating that pivotal legislation was to address older adult poverty nationwide through nutrition and supportive services. While the significance of what it means to be an older adult may have changed since the 1960s, the basic human needs for dignified aging — meals, health, agency, safety and income — remain the same.

Last fall, we launched a dynamic "Ageism Stops With You" campaign focused on calling out ageism regardless of age. This means both older and younger New Yorkers, as age discrimination affects us all. This reminds all of us that we should call it out, reject it and challenge ageism together. This multilingual campaign is not the only effort our agency has put forward in combating ageism but is complemented by our anti-ageism high school resource guide and the intergenerational "My New York Story" campaign. Both of these endeavors have been developed through the cabinet for older New Yorkers and were recognized as programs of merit by Generations United. We are proud of the work we are doing to fundamentally push against ageism in New York City.

Finally, last July, we were pleased to release the State of Older New Yorkers report, which was developed based on the results of our milestone service needs assessment administered in 2024. We have learned much information about the way older adults perceive their environment and aging in New York City, and we have learned about the work and challenges our agency needs to overcome in order to better meet the needs of older adults. This report has informed our work and allowed us to develop a better understanding of what older New Yorkers are really experiencing on a daily basis.

We are thrilled about these recent successes and some key programs supported in this preliminary budget which shape our core services and improve the lives of older adults in New York City. Two of New York City Aging's core services are OACs and the HDM program, which are intrinsically connected to providing meals and nutrition assistance to older adults. In recent years, we have altered our own thinking and clearly see congregate or home delivered meals as programs which provide food as medicine. These are essential services for healthy living and preventing the social isolation that affects older adults at a very basic level. The work done by OACs, HDM programs and our CMA providers combat poverty and financial insecurity, which addresses their needs when struggling with the activities of daily living.

Not only does the HDM program provide meals to homebound older New Yorkers, the interaction with the delivery person — which for many of our clients may be the only direct human interaction for the day — supports our ongoing effort to combat social isolation. Again, a critical aspect of our community care approach. This program continues to follow the strict guidance set by the state and is open to all those who meet the criteria.

Additionally, because financial insecurity remains among the most critical needs of older adults and is highly correlated to food insecurity, NYC Aging is continually evaluating our efforts and exploring areas for improvement. While workforce programs continue to be a way for older adults to avoid long-term poverty, meal programs are a lifeline to older adults struggling with financial and food insecurity. This includes enhancing meal options for recipients, embracing the diversity of our City by increasing the availability of culturally aligned meals and promoting uniformly high quality and nutritious meals. Over the past few years, per-meal reimbursement rates have gradually risen to help meet the needs of our providers serving these critical needs. These have been key improvements to service and our providers that we have achieved through partnership between the administration and Council leadership.

As the number of older adults in New York City continues to grow, it is imperative that we continue to grow the community care support systems which allow older New Yorkers to remain in the communities they built and truly age in place. We do this through home care and caregiver services which greatly serve those who are homebound or in need of additional supports. Home care services are provided through Medicaid reimbursement and for those who do not qualify for Medicaid programs through the expanded in-home services for elderly persons ISEP program, where case management hours are reimbursed to providers. Without this, ISEP clients are at a disadvantage when Medicaid home care workers are incentivized to take on those clients because the pay is higher. There is no distinction between ISEP and Medicaid home care workers. They are primarily women of color and this exacerbates inequity because of the salary. Currently, the home care program at New York City Aging is funded at 36.5 million for FY27.

Many older adults are caregivers for their aging parents or others. Many are caregivers who also have full-time jobs. The caregiver program offers options for respite care through home care or participation in social adult daycare. There are an estimated 1.3 million New Yorkers who function as a caregiver. We know that the cost of maintaining an older adult in institutionalized care is far higher when compared to the cost of community care options such as supporting caregivers. It costs on average $160,980 to house an older adult in institutionalized care, whereas the average cost of community care services is roughly $32,000 per person per year. In FY27, funding for the caregiver program is currently projected to be 14.2 million. We are additionally excited to announce that a citywide caregiver campaign just launched today and will help to educate New Yorkers about this incredibly important program at NYC Aging. Caregiver supports positively impact the health and well-being of older adults while aligning with the cultural background of the individual. This is

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why community care is so incredibly important to the future of older New Yorkers. As the New York City population ages rapidly, ensuring older adults can age in place is paramount. Naturally occurring retirement communities are a vital piece of the community care puzzle. Through contracted providers, New York City aging currently funds 36 NORCs across the city, delivering essential social services directly to where older adults live. NORC programs are uniquely positioned within people's homes and communities, offering services distinct from traditional older adult centers. Just like caregiver supports, NORCs are a fundamentally sound investment in community care that saves the city money while improving lives. NORC staff also intervene early to prevent the negative impacts that lead to costly institutionalization. Beyond health care, they empower older adults to advocate for their daily living needs. Currently, the NORC program is funded at 16.3 million in New York City. Because they are embedded in the community, NORC staff provide vital health care management to address long-term housing issues. These are key interventions that prevent older adults from being forced into institutional care.

Just this year, the governor's 2026 state of the state address underscored the immense value of this model by proposing to double state investments in NORCs to 16 million. This commitment highlights the immense impact that this program has, and we know that the Council has contributed discretionary funds to NORC programs as well in past years. These integrated services keep older New Yorkers safely in the communities they help build, which is their overwhelming preference. Maintaining and expanding NORC funding is essential to our shared goal of making New York City a truly age-friendly city, and we welcome your continued advocacy and investment in these critical community anchors.

In conclusion, I continue to be proud of the great work that NYC aging and our providers accomplish with our resources. This past year has shown where NYC aging is prepared to prioritize vital programs that truly meet the needs of older New Yorkers and continue to advocate for innovations in aging services which look to the future. Even in the face of challenges, we continue to be good stewards of public dollars. That said, given the need for further investment from our state and federal partners, we continue to be concerned about the current uncertainty and what changes may affect NYC aging. It is imperative now more than ever that New York City receive its fair share of aging services funding and that federal grants continue to be dispersed for these vital programs and services. We are grateful to the chairs of and committee members for your ongoing advocacy and continued partnership to support older New Yorkers. Thank you for your time today. Mr. Marcato and I are happy to answer any questions.

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Thank you, Commissioner. We are just joined by CM Brewer. Congratulations. We are going to move to the Q&A portion of this hearing. Congratulations, Commissioner. Again, I enjoyed the conversation we had yesterday. I am excited to work with you, but a lot of people still do not know yet. I am going to ask the question again. What is your priority for the agency?

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Well, we have taken an overall look at the agency. Obviously, again, it is my ninth day, so there is a lot still to be uncovered, but we found that we really have a great mission-driven agency that has done great work in partnership with this Council. So we want to thank you so much for all that you have done and how you have supported the work that we do. But as far as some of our changing mission, we are looking at ageism, and we know that ageism has been at the foundation of all the work that has been done over the last few years. But now we are starting to realign and recognizing that today folks are dealing with — and especially our older adults are dealing with — the real meat and potatoes issues of food insecurity, of a safe place to live, an affordable place to live, and especially providing the best environment possible when we do have places like our OACs, where it should be an area of respite for our older adults.

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And also, like you just said, this OAC is in a NYCHA building. What is your plan to work with other agencies? Because, like the last testimony, we had an advocate tell us this situation — it is raining outside, it is pouring inside — and it is in a NYCHA building. NYCHA does not let the OAC fix the issue. What is your plan for working with other city agencies?

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Well, exactly as you have said, we definitely need to partner better with NYCHA and we will do that. I know that we have an escalation process right now where you have a ticket and we do have a liaison that works along with us, but I would like us to really advocate a lot more strongly that these environments are looked at immediately. We are not a capital agency, as you all know, but we can make use of monies that we may have that are due to overspending and others to be able to effect some of these repairs. And of course, NYCHA, as one of the city agencies, I am sure that they are eager to help us solve this problem. So we will work with them and whatever other agencies we need to in order to make sure that we do not have centers that look like this.

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Thank you. And also, a second question: older adults represent approximately 20% of the city's population. A 2021 Grad Center study reported that the population of older adults age 65 and older in New York State will increase to 25% between 2021 and 2040. In the city alone, the population of older adults will increase by 40% by the year 2040. This is a big increase. What metrics does NYC aging track or monitor regarding the older adult population growing and demanding more programs and more services?

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Well, we are looking at metrics, and I am sure Jose may want to add some things, but we are looking at metrics that help us to identify the total number of folks that would need our assistance. Of course, allowing there to be some overflow, because we do recognize that there are folks that we may not know about who are 60 and older and will enter some of our centers and require additional services as well. So while I do not have those numbers in front of me now, I am happy to bring them back for our next meeting. We are tracking the need and meeting the need according to our recent numbers.

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I am a data person also. Me too. So when the number of seniors increases, the percentage of seniors also increases, but we did not see the percentage of the budget in the city increase. Is there any plan to increase the percentage of the budget for seniors this year?

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Well, there are innovative approaches, and of course our partnerships with some of our nonprofit agencies as well, to be able to address the needs and properly assign the needs. Because through case management we should be able to assess our older adults and then be sure that we are meeting their actual needs. Not all of that is a budget issue. Some of it is budget neutral. We found through our cabinet for older New Yorkers that we have been able to come up with approaches that do not cost a lot of money but actually increase the service and increase the offerings of services that we have across the city.

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I am on the ground every day. A lot of senior center oases come to me and always say, "Susan, we do not have enough budget, we have to cut this, we have to cut that." And this year, from the budget so far, I have not seen an increase of money for OACs, but I see cuts. Is there any plan for our OACs in the budget?

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Well, yes, we did release a concept paper very recently and we were waiting for the results of that to get a better picture of whether or not we do need to make further adjustments. But I would open the floor and say to you, please, if you do hear that — I cannot speak for the past, but I can speak for the future — if you get that, please pass it on to us, because we want to be able to ensure that we are meeting the needs. And if there are ways that we can look at our budget and use it in a different way to meet those needs, we are willing to do so.

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That is great to hear. Probably you are going to have a full list. Good. We have got lots of work to do.

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We are also just joined by CM Hudson and CM Lee — our finance chair.

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Good. Hi. How are you?

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For the mayor's savings exercise, do we have any idea what NYC DFTA is able to save and in what areas they are going to save? For me, I see DFTA already does not have enough funding. How are we going to save more? Which areas are you going to look at to save?

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We are currently looking at ideas and we are still working through that.

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Again, we are still reviewing what we have because the commissioner mentioned earlier we are looking at all our budgets and reviewing them. So currently we have made no decisions regarding any savings at this point in time.

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And we really want to be very thoughtful in this process because again we do not have an infinite budget. No one does. But we want to be sure that we are meeting the needs and meeting our older adults where they are, and our providers, to be sure that what we are funding, we are funding the right things. And if there is something that we can draw back on, that we are drawing back on the right issues.

We also hear there is going to be a two-for-one hiring policy, and it was a concern to hear that agencies will only be permitted to fill half of their vacancies. With seniors growing, I do not know what the situation is with DFTA. Well, I am happy to say that at this point we only have two positions that have been approved by OMB that we are actively hiring for at this point. So we are doing quite well with our staffing, and our vacancy rate right now is two percentage points lower than it was last year. So we are doing well for now and we will continue to monitor.

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Okay. I still have a lot of questions, but I want to let my colleagues ask questions first, then we will go back to my questions. We have CM Schulman, followed by CM Brewer.

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Thank you very much, Chair, and welcome, Commissioner. One of the questions I have is sort of continuing in the vein of the chair. There are communities like in my district where there are no senior centers, and I know in terms of the capital, the capital is not there, but in Richmond Hill there are no senior centers. Are there any plans to deal with that?

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I am so happy you mentioned that, because definitely we want to be sure that we have centers in areas of need and underserved communities. So it is something that we will look at and I would be happy to bring you back some information on that in the very near future.

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Okay. I appreciate that, because there are seniors who get together in small groups and they do their own thing, and so they do not have a structure. That is very important. And also, I would like to invite you out to my district. The amenities at some of the senior centers are not great in my district — not to the extent that you have at NYCHA, but you will see. And we have in my district a lot of Holocaust survivors who come for lunches at different places, and there is stuff coming off the walls and the tables are not good, you know, all of that. So we should talk about that. What kind of meals do you have, and do you have money for meals for seniors? How does that work?

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So currently, the majority of our OACs basically have money.

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Okay. So they all have meals, and they get reimbursed based on specific cost. On average, meal cost is about $5 on average. So currently, right now, we have provided 3.2 million meals. As of January, we currently have no outstanding invoices for meals at this point in time.

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Okay. And the last question that I have is, what are your plans in terms of moving? I know you are at Lafayette Street now, I believe, and you are moving to 14 Wall Street. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

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Yes. First, I want to take you up on your invitation. You mentioned that we should go out to your community, so absolutely, let us plan that as soon as possible. It is a major priority of mine to see and feel the same things that our older adults see and feel every day. As I have mentioned, I do not just want to see the glitzy programs. I actually want to go to those programs where there are real needs so that we can make a bigger impact when we do correct those issues.

But yes, we will be moving in the very near future. There are renovations that will take place first. It is listed right now as a mayoral renovation. So we are expecting that this will help us not only retain the quality talented staff that we have right now, but as we move forward and continue to have needs to attract additional staff, that will help us as well. We also have several spaces within our building where we invite our older adults in for training and for counseling, interview prep, and other types of services. So again, if it is going to be our overarching goal that we provide the best spaces — safe and functional — we want to do the same thing when they are coming over to DFTA.

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Is there a timeline for the move?

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Well, we are working out the timeline right now, so I do not want to commit to something that is not in stone yet. But it will be in the near future.

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And what a big issue for seniors. By the way, I am one of a handful of older adults on the City Council, so this is important to me. Loneliness is a big issue for seniors. What plans do you have? I did not see anything in the testimony around that issue.

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Yes, social isolation, loneliness. Well, the first thing that we are doing — as I mentioned in the testimony, you might not have heard me — we do have those congregate settings at all of the OACs. So our older adults do have the chance to network and socialize and so on. And then some of them do not want to go to an OAC or maybe they cannot get to an OAC. So at those home delivered meals, they do have that consistency with the driver that is coming every day. They become accustomed to them and become comfortable.

But I am a technology person and I do feel that at many of our centers we have started to train up some of our seniors to be able to use some of the devices that are out there, such as language translation apps, which would open the door to additional communication and connection and socialization for our seniors. So these are some of the avenues that we are exploring, but again, as I mentioned, we are looking at innovative approaches. We know that there are several ways to be able to provide additional services and to allow that sense of belonging and connection. So it is an area of focus for us.

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Okay. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Commissioner.

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Thank you. We are also joined by Chair Millie. I have a follow-up question. So CM Schulman already asked about the move. The budget states that moving the aging headquarters will cost $27.1 million, and for our city agency's total project funding it is $75.9 million for fiscal 2026 to 2030. This is basically almost half of the total budget for city agencies for four years. Why is this move so expensive?

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So yes, part of that is renovating the building to ensure that it basically meets the needs of the older adults, including training centers as well as staff.

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Is there any process inside? Who is the landlord and why is this building so expensive? Basically, it is half the budget of four years for DFTA — the moving expense.

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I would like to review those numbers again, and if there are changes we will be sure to share those with you. But I would say that it did go through the bidding process and it went through OMB, so they have already addressed those hurdles early on in the process. The final number — and I am not going to say right now that that is the final number — but we will share that final number with you. And it was in line with what makes sense for moving an agency of our size and also having to have those special amenities for our older adults when they enter our center. It is not just your basic vanilla box type of movement. These are not just

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offices. These are spaces that are designed to support the work that we do.

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So this is not the direct service cost, like similar to a senior center. It is only just a move. We would like to see the numbers. I think the public is also interested to see all the numbers.

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Okay. We will definitely bring that back for you.

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Thank you. And also, CM Brewer...

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Thank you very much and it was nice to meet you on your first day at the Yes Encore dinner. That was very special. I have a question about case management because I know that in many cases that is the... I do not know what the right term is, meat and potatoes of some of these centers and they never have enough.

So the PMMR said there was an increase in the number of clients. I am sure about that. An increase in case management hours and there is a large number of older City citizens who were served. But what is the current funding amount for case management in your budget for 26 and for 27? And is there a waiting list for case management services? I know the answer is yes. And then how many clients are on that list? And just generally, how are you going to address case management? That is, like I said, what keeps people housed and served and so on. I want to hear more about case management.

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Regarding the budget, there was actually additional funding added during the November plan for case management for a million dollars. So currently our budget for 26...

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Can you talk up a little if you could?

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Sorry. Can you hear me?

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Yep. >> Can you hear me better?

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All right. I sound like a Verizon commercial now. But anyway, with case management, so currently our budget is $55.5 million, which includes that additional money for that one year. >> 55 million. You said... >> 55, $55.5 million, right? >> Yeah. And the same thing, that baseline is for 27 as well. So just so you know, for example, this does not include any additional ICR information and things of that nature.

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And what is the waiting list? How many more people do you have on the waiting list?

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Okay. So right now we have 455 clients that are waiting for full case management services, which actually is a decrease of 38% from the same time two years ago.

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Okay. So that sounds low but I appreciate that that is the number that you have. What do you consider case management? This would not be an everyday interaction, because we know the ratio the Council has requested is a ratio of 65 cases per case worker. Right now we are at 164, as opposed to...

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Right. So we are just a smidge under, but we are working obviously to make sure that we do reach that target goal that you have mentioned previously. And this would not include the day-to-day interaction. Of course, one person with 65 people. So case management for us would be that you do have that social worker that would be covering 64 cases. That would be their case load.

(00:50:05)

Okay. I think that is helpful. More to be discussed. I am a big supporter of the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens. We are all trying to find housing and they were able to do home sharing for a hundred hosts and guests very recently. So I want to know if that is a program that you think should be expanded, funded, etc. Obviously the notion behind it, as you know, somebody has a vacancy in their apartment and then they match and it ends up saving money. Last year about 1.3 million is what the City saved. So I want to know if you know the program, if you think it should be expanded. I think it is a great model. What do you think?

(00:50:39)

Well, thank you for sharing that. Again, nine days in, I do not want to say it should be expanded or maintained. What I will say is that we will definitely take a deep dive and make sure that this is something that is meaningful to the organization and meaningful to the folks that need to use the program and we will bring that answer back for you.

(00:50:59)

Okay. And the other thing is hoarders. Hoarders are a big problem when you talk about case management. That is almost all by yourself. You have got to deal with it. So my question is what are we doing to prevent eviction? APS is obviously the last resort. Is that something that... I know you have a big ageism agenda. I am very granular so I have tons of hoarders and we spend hours, we sometimes clean them, sometimes we call APS, etc. How is that fitted in? Unfortunately they are often older adults.

(00:51:30)

Yes. And I want to just circle back one moment if you would not mind on the case management issue. The number that we mentioned includes individuals that are waiting for a full evaluation. >> Okay. They are still receiving services like home delivered meals where they qualify in the interim. So on the issue of hoarders, obviously we do have a tenant eviction specialist unit that would assist with issues like that. And as our case management workers are working with these older adults, they also assess if there are environmental issues where they would need additional assistance. So it is something that we are looking at as well. It is an issue among our older adults as we know because many of them either do not have the resources or they are not bodily able to do those things on their own.

(00:52:20)

I am just saying I think it is good to be reactive and I am just saying try to look at some of the dockets at housing court to be more proactive so we do not want them to lose their homes. You know, they are going to end up in shelter. So I would love to see that.

And finally on SCRIE, we love SCRIE. We work with finance. We have somebody there every week helping tenants. However, due to memory loss and so on, people do not get their forms in. They do not do the lease right. The owner loves to pretend they do not know about the lease renewal, etc. So how are you... that is working with another agency, I understand that, but how are you dealing with SCRIE? There are so many people who are not signed up. We know that. But even those who are signed up, we spend hours every week, you know, lines out the door with people who do not have the right information. They do not want to lose it. They want to get on it. They do not remember, etc.

(00:53:16)

Well, thank you for that. And we welcome the partnership with you so that we can also advocate for what is needed there. At those older adult centers, we do have staff that work with the older adults to complete their applications. So they do have some resources and of course we want to do additional outreach so that they are aware that they have those services available to them.

(00:53:39)

It is one of those things that I think the mayor and others should be doing because a lot of those folks do not go to senior centers, or older adult centers, whatever they are called. But it is something that needs a lot of attention. Thank you.

(00:53:51)

Thank you. And actually our office did research about SCRIE. Of people who qualified, only 42% applied because people do not know the program. Later on they lost their apartments, they lost their homes. This is definitely a joint partnership between all the City agencies. We need to advocate. Even my office, we help people to apply. We need to have a campaign between City agencies and between all the Council members, even with the mayor. We should let people know this program exists. Apply before you lose your home. And the next one we have CM Abdul.

(00:54:48)

Good afternoon and congratulations and welcome to DFTA. Thank you and welcome to the City Council budget hearing. So I have a few questions actually. Federal funding is declining due to the removal of the pandemic era funding. How are you planning to close that gap and prevent service reductions?

(00:55:21)

So last year, New York City covered all federal funding that went away. >> And currently it is all baseline funding right now. So there are no specific fiscal cliffs regarding federal funding.

(00:55:35)

Okay. And with home delivered meals, it appears to have declined by 25% compared to the same period last year.

(00:55:45)

What factors are contributing to that decline and what steps is DFTA taking to ensure that seniors who need meals are receiving meals? And on CM Wang's point, what is the outreach and marketing and education to seniors about the services that are provided for these communities? We have throughout the City and in the Bronx, we have a lot of food deserts. Is DFTA doing anything to service those food desert areas? Have you identified areas that are in greater need? So those are my questions for now. I have a few more but...

(00:56:41)

Okay.

(00:56:44)

Well, thank you so much for your questions and obviously we all are very concerned about the federal environment now and some of the changes and we are monitoring what may be the impact on New York City aging. I do want to get back to you. This is one time that I am going to have to say that I am going to lean in a little bit on my nine days and I am going to say I would like to take a deeper dive into some of these reductions. Obviously we know we have spent more in the budget and I do not know if you want to mention that, but if there is an area that we need to take a deeper dive, I would like us to do that.

So as you can see, for example, home delivered meals has been growing every year and as a result support from the Council... >> Speaking to the mic. Sorry. >> Yeah because we cannot hear you guys now. >> Sorry. >> Like it is like Teams, right, you cannot... anyway. So as you know, for example, historically home delivered meals has been increasing as well as the Council has been supporting the rate increases over time. So the budget has grown. Regarding the actual reduction in the actual meals, the commissioner will get back to you on that. I think there is probably a data issue there but we will get back to you on that.

(00:57:56)

Okay. Can I ask another question? So on staffing, you have about a 13.9% vacancy rate. How are you ensuring that there is adequate oversight of the over 1,400 contracts with nonprofits that you have across the City? And are there any issues with providers receiving funding or having funding delays because of...

(00:58:33)

Regarding on-time payments, we do not have any outstanding invoices to providers. Normally if invoices come in we have a two-week turnaround. So regarding delayed payments, that is not one of our issues at all.

(00:58:47)

We do have a robust... in terms of staffing, we have staff who are constantly contract managing the programs and so if there are any issues they normally get to one of us.

(00:58:58)

Okay. And I do have a specific question about a center in my district, the Throggs Neck senior center. It has been closed for close to two years and it has fallen into disrepair. It is under NYCHA but it is now I believe a Section 9 PACT building. >> And so that transition from NYCHA to PACT or even RAD, it feels like we are caught in limbo here as to who is responsible to make the repairs >> to the senior center, which is much needed. About 58% of the tenants in NYCHA housing in my district are over the age of 65.

(00:59:49)

Yes. >> Which is significant. And I would say to you we are aware that there are some centers, or OACs, that are in NYCHA facilities where the building itself has infrastructure issues and that is one of them. There are issues with the HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and the roof, aside from the site that we operate there. So again, this is another area where we need to partner with NYCHA and to see what can be done. It might call for us to take another look and perhaps if there is some swing space or something else that we can find in the neighborhood, we may have to take a look at it and make a hard decision. Because our overarching goal is that we are going to have safe functional environments for every one of our centers. We know it is going to take time but we will work tirelessly to get there because, as I feel and as I have shared with the team at DFTA, if I do not feel I can send my grandmother there, my mother cannot go there and I do not want to be there, then I do not want to have anyone else in that environment as well. So we will work towards making sure every one of those centers is a place we feel proud of.

(01:01:02)

Yeah. Currently they are using the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, but during the summer they cannot use it because it is full-time summer, the kids are there for day camp. And so during the summer they will not have a space, they will not have a place to go to. They have talked about transporting. Does DFTA pay for the agency that is running that center to transport people to other centers and how would that work? I know a lot of seniors like being in their community and do not like the idea of being transported somewhere else. And I would say that a lot of the senior centers are full to capacity. So just adding more people will not necessarily work. We have to figure that one out, sooner rather than later.

(01:02:06)

We do know that it may take more innovative approaches for us to be able to serve our older adults. But I agree that they should not be bused into other communities. Their preference is to stay within their own communities and to have a home base somewhere close to where they actually live where they can build those connections and that sense of belonging in a certain community. So yes, we do need to find other approaches and other methods. I have not found them in nine days but we will work towards coming back to you with some ideas that make sense and again welcome your advocacy and of course our community leaders and elected officials too to help us to better serve those that deserve to age gracefully in place.

(01:02:54)

And have you thought about working with other agencies or organizations like public libraries and even DOE schools to provide a space where our seniors can go and also interact with some young folks who can learn from us?

(01:03:18)

Because I consider myself one of the few seniors on this committee. But yeah, think of it as we are paying it forward. We are getting it ready for the folks that will come after us. So any steps that we take now will set the foundation for great work in the future. But yes, we have looked at some of those areas. We have talked about being able to access space where we can have additional programming for our older adults in larger spaces, air conditioned spaces. We know the cooling season, as much as we would love it to be today, it will be here pretty soon. So we are looking at that in connection with the cooling centers that we need to offer for our older adults in the summertime. We are looking at a lot of different approaches. Again, once we start to solidify some of these a bit more, I think that is a better time for us to have a real, logical, cogent discussion about what we can do. >> Thank you. >> You are welcome.

(01:04:15)

Thank you. If you do not tell anyone, people think you are 25. And we are just joined by CM Dinowitz and the next one is finance chair Lee.

(01:04:28)

Hi everyone. Welcome, Commissioner, and it is always good to see Jose, who has been helpful. It is great to — well, scary a little bit — to be in this new role, but as some folks at DFTA know, it is great to see the staff as well and of course the advocates. Having run a social service nonprofit with two senior centers and a Meals on Wheels program for 12 years, I fully appreciate the work that DFTA has done in supporting our communities. One comment I will make though is that I think part of the reason why the budget is increasing, even though the number of seniors have not necessarily for homebound delivered meals, is because of the fact that the costs have been increasing and we have been trying to catch up with the national levels of rates for HDM. I think that is part of it because I think back when I was — this was in 2014 or 2015 as a subcontractor — we were only getting reimbursed $5.25 per meal, which was even at that time extremely low.

So I just wanted to check on the fact that the subs are also getting their indirect rates and a fair share of the contracts as well as the main contractors. Not to say that we want to take away from the main contractors, because obviously we do not. But how do we increase that pie? If you do not have it today, since I get that you are on day nine, I would love to see updated numbers in terms of where the reimbursement rates are with the mains versus the subs if you can provide that.

And then also, I know that I am very much against unfunded mandates because that cost should not have to fall onto the providers. When we did our 7-day meal delivery service — the Bill that we passed — I specifically wanted to make sure there was language in the Bill that was subject to appropriation. So just in your conversations with OMB and with the mayor's office, does it look like there will be funding? I know that we are doing the budget dance right now, but I would gladly advocate for you to obviously get funding in the budget for the 7th day meal, because as we know, a lot of the seniors receiving homebound meals usually only get the one meal a day. So I just wanted to check in on that as well in terms of how those conversations are going with the administration.

(01:06:47)

So I am going to go back to the very first question. Currently, as we all know, it is $14.78 per meal. Unfortunately, we do not get involved with the conversations regarding subcontractors and how they negotiate with the prime.

(01:07:02)

But do you have a sense of what those numbers are?

(01:07:04)

It varies from provider to provider. It is not consistent across the board.

(01:07:08)

What is the floor and what is the range?

(01:07:10)

I can get you that. We will send you that information. I do not want to give a guess right now, but we will provide that.

(01:07:17)

Okay.

(01:07:18)

And on the other issue, obviously a lot more conversation needs to happen surrounding that. I have some preliminary numbers on the cost and I am not so sure the Bill addresses the funding vehicle for this.

(01:07:33)

It does. It was basically on the administration to see if we can put money into the budget for that.

(01:07:39)

Okay. So a lot more conversation. I would really love to have those conversations over the next few weeks or so. It is something that we can discuss because, looking at the preliminary numbers, we are talking about an astronomical number that would be a pretty heavy financial lift.

(01:07:57)

It is about $300 million, right?

(01:07:59)

Yes.

(01:08:00)

From what I remember. Okay. Because I have not looked at the number recently, but I remember $300 million is sticking out. Okay.

(01:08:05)

Okay. So further exploration and discussion, and definitely something for a future meeting.

(01:08:12)

Okay. Yes. And I will advocate for that as a future need as well. So, shifting gears quickly, putting on my hat from my former committee chair role as mental health chair — obviously senior mental health is super important — I just wanted to know, I think some of the advocates and health providers are expressing concerns about the contracts. If you could differentiate the contracts that you may have that support mental health programs within NYC Aging and then with geriatric mental health. I know there are groups like ESPOP and others who are very unique in the sense that they have both the Article 31 as well as the DFTA contract. I remember there was — I do not know if this has been fixed yet — even when I was at KCS we had an Article 31 as well as DFTA contracts, and the question I would always ask is why are the two contracts separate, especially when we are serving linguistically sensitive populations. If you could speak to when the contracts are going to get renewed or when there are new RFPs coming out, and if those changes could be looked at.

(01:09:27)

So I am going to talk about the renewals. Currently we have about 173 contracts which will be renewed — roughly transportation, older adult centers and so forth. We are renewing contracts that will end in 2027.

(01:09:46)

We will get back to you with more nuance regarding the mental health contracts and the Article — sorry, what was the article number?

(01:09:55)

Article 31s, which are the outpatient mental health contracts.

(01:09:57)

Yes, we will get back to you on that nuance.

(01:10:00)

I just want to emphasize that if there is value in a nonprofit that has the DFTA contract and also has the Article 31, I would really advocate that they should be allowed to provide those services within one organization.

(01:10:15)

There is a lot of nuance and I believe I said we will get back to you on that.

(01:10:18)

Okay, thank you. Thanks, Chair, and congrats, Chair.

(01:10:23)

Thank you. Next, we have CM Hudson, former aging chair.

(01:10:29)

Thank you so much, and happy to be here as a committee member, although obviously very sad to no longer be the chair — although grateful for my new chairmanship. Welcome, Commissioner. As everyone has said, I look forward to spending some time getting to know each other. I have introduced legislation to permit older adult centers to opt to provide grab-and-go meals to their clients, as many older adults prefer not to eat in congregate settings due to health concerns following the COVID-19 pandemic. What is the department's current position on grab-and-go meals and whether they are permitted in OAC contracts? Are there any limitations given state guidelines?

(01:11:15)

Well, thank you for the warm welcome and I am looking forward to working with all of you to continue the great advocacy and the work that we do for our older adults. Grab-and-go meals — we are definitely in support. Any avenue or vehicle that we can use to provide meals for our older adults and get them into their hands in the way that they prefer, we are in support of. I know that there are some changes we do need to take a look at because I am aware that there is an additional cost — pretty much the cost per container — that some folks are worried about. So again, as we did on the earlier topic, I would like to have additional discussion and conversation. It is something that I would like to join you in advocating for, but we do need to have more discussion.

(01:12:03)

Okay. Happy to have that discussion. I also want to say that I fully support adding $300 million to the budget to feed older adults seven days a week. I just want to get that on the record. There is a proliferation of private for-profit social adult daycare centers that are in many cases busing older adults from across the City and pulling attendants from City-operated older adult centers. Not to mention, they are charging Medicaid daily for things like measuring blood pressure. Is this on NYC Aging's radar? If so, what is your position on them? Are you working to get folks out of those centers and into ours?

(01:12:42)

Well, it is on our radar. It is a topic that is very concerning to us, but we have better control obviously over the centers that are under our purview. We would like to have some discussions with some of these newer centers that are popping up around the City, but we also need to have that pipeline to our older adults and really explain to them the services that we do have available at the centers within the City, which would probably benefit them a lot more in the long run. Especially the issue that we talked about earlier with remaining in your own community, having that connection, having that sense of belonging, being able to share with people that you will more than likely see every day or who could be alerted if the senior has an issue. Persons that are right within their own community will recognize, "I did not see them today." We want to continue that type of environment — the feel and experience of the New York City centers. So yes, again, another area that needs to be explored more, but it is definitely on our radar.

(01:13:53)

Okay. Currently older adults make up 20% of New York City's population, and by 2040 that percentage will increase to 40%. Given the rapidly increasing older adult population, are there any plans to expand funding for NORCs on the administration side? The current funding of $16.3 million seems wholly inadequate given that our City will have more older adults than children under 18 by 2030. Essentially, many large residential buildings across the City will very soon be naturally occurring retirement communities.

(01:14:25)

Well, we welcome the aging population remaining in New York City. We know that at some point, especially with folks living longer and hopefully continuing to want to stay in New York City, the numbers will rise substantially over the next few years and it is a very big tent. We know that. So yes, we will have additional conversations with the administration regarding the needs at that time, or preparing now for those needs proactively so that we are not hit with a crisis in 2030. It is something that we have already started discussing at DFTA and we will continue preparing and working along with all of you so that we can prevent any crisis in 2030.

(01:15:06)

Thank you. Last year you embarked on an $800,000 anti-ageism ad campaign which included subway ads informing New Yorkers about ageism and how to spot it. Can you explain the decision behind prioritizing anti-ageism advocacy and do you have any metrics to measure the campaign's success?

(01:15:24)

Well, I do not think we have the metrics with us today and we will bring you some additional information on anti-ageism. As I did mention, we will be revising somewhat the sole focus on ageism because we do believe that our older adults have many more substantial issues they are dealing with today. As I mentioned earlier, the meat and potatoes issues of making sure that there is food on the table, that they are in safe environments, that they have an affordable place to live. So there may be some modifications to the campaign, but we will bring you the metrics on the ageism platform.

(01:16:04)

Great. Thank you. I know that you are aware that you have one of the smallest City agency budgets in New York City government. It should not be that way given the growing older adult population, the older adult population that already exists and the importance of people aging in place. I want to state for the record how much I will always continue to advocate for more funding for your agency and hope that the administration is able to increase the budget significantly to reflect the importance of the older adult population here in New York City. Thank you and thank you, Chair.

(01:16:48)

Thank you.

(01:16:49)

Thank you. I want to follow up to clarify the cost for legislation that could provide home delivery meals seven days a week under Bill Intro 280. You said $300 million but previously we heard $27 million.

(01:17:09)

Yes, that is correct. $27.7 million — that is the cost to bring seven meals for HDM.

(01:17:14)

$27 million. Not...

(01:17:15)

$27.7 million. Yes, that was the figure.

(01:17:16)

Okay. $27 million. Okay. Thanks. And the next...

(01:17:19)

Should be even easier to secure then.

(01:17:22)

And then we have co-chair Millie.

(01:17:29)

Thank you, Chair. Thank you and congratulations. >> Thank you so much. >> I have so many questions but I know sooner or later you and I will be speaking and I have such a passion for my seniors — they call me the guru. What percentage of your budget do you think will be handling the centers with AC for the summer cooling centers? Because we have to prepare. Last year I feel it was almost a failure. I could not find real cooling centers for our seniors. This is between life and death. Could you give me that percentage quickly because I have some other questions.

(01:18:13)

So it is actually not a percentage. To your point, we have been looking since last year at all the different sites that need to be repaired and authorizing those going forward. We can give you a list of those centers where the HVACs are being worked on and so forth.

(01:18:30)

Well, again, it is based on health and safety depending on which ones need to be repaired. We have been starting that process since last year and we are now working with the providers and notifying them about the cooling centers and determining which ones also need to be fixed quickly. That is our focus right now.

(01:18:45)

I just want to add on to that a little bit. Our centers do have AC and there is a report that comes out every September that mentions the AC status at every one of our sites. But of course you are aware of my background and the fact that emergency preparedness has always been extremely important to me. Now that I get the chance to focus my emergency management skills on our older adults, there is no more important issue during the summertime than AC.

(01:19:18)

I will be your partner.

(01:19:19)

So you can expect that. I just wanted to mention, because I did not get a chance to say it earlier, that in everything that we do, we definitely want to meet the needs of all of our older adults and our goal is to ensure every New Yorker can age in place in New York City. We welcome the partnership with the Council. We will continue to work with anyone that wants to work with us because, as I mentioned earlier, we do have a big tent. It is going to call for all of us to advocate and to work really tirelessly to be able to provide all that we need for our older adults. We want them to have everything they deserve. Thank you. I am looking forward to that. Last budget cycle, we were told that an RFP would be released around the end of calendar year 2025 with new contracts set to start at the beginning of fiscal year 2027.

(01:20:12)

To date, the RFP has not been released and it is unclear when it will be. Will you know when an RFP will be released? Just for full context, I am one who came into office and our senior center was closed. I can give you the percentage of how many people we lost because that center had food, a pool room, an exercise room, an arts and crafts room, a big dining room — and it closed. When I came in, I made it a mandate. Now it is coming out of my own budget because I know that is a life and death situation. I have been asking when an RFP will be released so it can get off my budget and onto yours, to make sure that we are all doing our fair share. So would you know when an RFP will be released and when a new contract is expected to begin?

(01:21:10)

So...

(01:21:11)

And with the capacity being new now, have you budgeted for how much more the contracts will cost?

(01:21:22)

Currently, the proposed RFP will probably be released sometime in the fall of 2027.

(01:21:28)

1. Okay.

(01:21:30)

Right. So that is probably sometime in November or December, with a start date of July of 2027. >> July >> of 2027.

(01:21:40)

Okay. Will additional capacity be included in the RFP to fund centers in parts of the City with high older adult populations that may not currently have adequate New York City funding, like myself and OACs? Will additional capacity be included for the new expansion of programs at OACs? Please put that in detail since I am the one doing it. I have boots on the ground. I have seniors doing boots on the ground, teaching them sign language. We have campfires and movie nights. We just had speed friendshipping with our seniors. This center went from 15 people coming to now 45 because I am making sure those programs are in. So how can we really partner to make sure every senior center has that? I have moved to Gilroy now, but what other capacities can we partner on to make sure that our seniors have fun and feel they are welcomed at every senior center? When I take my show on the road, you all better watch out. I am coming with my boots on the ground.

(01:22:55)

Currently, for example, we have a specific budget and I will say for that RFP it does not include expansion. However, the commissioner is nine days in and she will be evaluating the RFP proposal. So this is an opportunity for the commissioner to evaluate how we operate and how we run these RFPs. Right now there is no expansion, but the commissioner is nine days in and she is going to be reevaluating all the RFPs that were going to come out. So that is where we are right now.

(01:23:24)

Where we are at. And I am chair of the senior centers and seniors food and security.

(01:23:30)

So this budget, I am going to every center to see to make sure that all of them are up to capacity.

(01:23:37)

Wonderful.

(01:23:37)

And getting the food that they really need.

(01:23:40)

Let me congratulate you for the boots on the ground, for the signage, for all of that. One of the joys I would say of being the commissioner is that you can look at how our older adults are viewed in the City. One of the very first comments I made about our older adults is that not everyone is frail and elderly. There is a huge number of us that want to have fun and we recognize that we are in the Big Apple and we want our bite too. So we have very similar views when it comes to how our older adults should be treated and some of the services that we should offer for them, and entertainment and all those things that make life worth living in New York City.

(01:24:28)

Thank you. And Chair, we had a staff question: if the City is funding these programs, why do the seniors have to pay out of their own pockets? I would love to have a conversation about that because something is wrong with that picture. I just found out one senior center I gave extra money to, and now they have to pay $125 to go on a trip. I feel our seniors have paved their way — blood, sweat and tears built this City — and now in their retirement they still have to pay when things should be free. So Chair, I am looking forward to, and Commissioner, we are going to get down to the bottom of this. I do not mind them paying a little, maybe. I really do not want them to pay anything, but I think $125 is egregious. Not talking about the food — they have to pay two or five dollars just to have breakfast or lunch. Some people do not eat because they do not have the dollar or two or five. That is just a statement. Thank you, Chair, for indulging me.

(01:25:38)

Thank you. Thank you.

(01:25:39)

Can I just say really quickly? Again, it is a contribution. They do not have to actually pay for the meals.

(01:25:45)

They are not required to pay for the meals.

(01:25:48)

They do not know that it is a contribution. Do the directors know that? Where they cannot...

(01:25:53)

Yes, they should. It is posted. It should be posted. It is a contribution.

(01:25:56)

They do not have to pay anything. It is my job now to make sure it is posted, because a lot of people do not eat because they do not see that sign and they do not want to feel embarrassed being turned away if they do not have a dollar or five dollars just for lunch. So I am looking forward to partnering with you on that to make sure every senior knows it is not embarrassing to not have the money to eat, because they have paid their way already. Thank you so much, Chair.

(01:26:24)

You are so welcome. I would say just really quickly, it is our goal that every older adult eat and we certainly do not want anyone embarrassed seeking a meal. So maybe if there is some proactive approach letting our older adults know of the fact that they do not need to pay for these meals, I think we can do more in that respect.

(01:26:46)

Thank you. Following up with the meal questions, I shared my personal story last time. My grandma enjoyed those congregate meals. She loved it and sometimes she could not finish, so she would bring it home for dinner. Also, does New York City Aging plan to increase funding for OAC providers to address growing food costs, increasing client demands and the high cost of food?

(01:27:40)

So I do not know if you know, but we actually monitor the budget very closely and we basically ensure that providers who actually need additional funding receive it. For example, there is always going to be underspending in some of these contracts. What we do is every quarter we look to see exactly where the underspending is and move money and funding appropriately to ensure that providers can cover their costs, whether it is food costs, utilities and things of that nature.

(01:28:06)

And inflation is certainly a part of that discussion, because we are not immune. We are just as subject as everyone else. So we want to be sure that we are offering rates that make sense.

(01:28:19)

And also some providers in some areas need kosher and I see COPO is here — they need halal food also, and culturally sensitive meals. Do you know how the providers contract, how the contracts are given out, what the percentage of minority contractors is and how they designate to pick the contractors?

(01:28:51)

Okay, thank you. Instead of addressing it as a percentage, what we are doing is that every one of those centers, every one of our OACs — it is part of their contract that they must know their community. They must provide culturally aligned meals. If that calls for a specialized meal, a kosher or a halal, then it must be offered at that center. I think we know that we are in one of the most diverse cities in the world. So we are very cognizant of the fact that we need to meet the cultural community needs of each one of our constituent areas. Overall we are doing well, but if you need specifics we can bring that back as well.

(01:29:38)

A lot of the time we see very often that small business owners who are people of color do not get the contract.

(01:29:48)

And also, do you make sure this kind of issue is addressed in the DFTA contract? Yes, we do. I would have to say we differ on that opinion that a person of color would not get the contract, because it is a very competitive process. We do not control the process. The bidders will decide if they want to bid on a particular contract or not. We have an equitable process for selection of the vendor. Sometimes you may have some displacement — we may have a vendor that has been offering a service for a very long time, but through the competitive process you may have someone that is a better choice for that particular time. So from our standpoint, it is a competitive process. There is no color assigned to the contract. It will go to whoever is the best bidder.

(01:30:44)

Okay, got it. But I would like to see the numbers by race, by whether it is a minority-owned business. As a city, as New York City, such a big city should support minority businesses. We would like to see that they provide our senior support also. Absolutely. And also for the budget for OACs...

(01:31:08)

Over 300 OACs are currently funded through DFTA.

(01:31:14)

A lot of the time, DFTA continues to have the smallest capital plan of all our City agencies. As we enter the budget cycle for fiscal 2027, what additional resources can DFTA advocate for to help the OACs improve their capital projects?

(01:31:43)

So as the commissioner mentioned earlier, we do have a capital budget but we actually do not manage the capital budget. What we have been looking at is more about the expense budget and actually looking at health and safety issues, and that would be where we can provide funding to the providers so they can actually do all the work. That is actually much easier for us than going through a capital process, because a lot of the capital budget is managed by DDC and there is their bandwidth to actually renovate all these different sites. So that is kind of what we are looking for more.

(01:32:17)

And I am sorry...

(01:32:18)

Sorry, I would say also that we are...

(01:32:21)

...monitoring outcomes. I know that in 2025 we completed 27 projects and we are still looking at the list of priority projects for 2026. The goal always is to make sure that we are in safe, functional space. So if there are any issues or any sites that need to be prioritized because they are not meeting that very simple basic goal, we will be happy to add them to the list of projects that need to be prioritized.

We also like to thank the Council for providing us with $5 million for health and safety covering 55 projects, some major renovations, kitchens, roofs and things of that nature. We would like to continue that if it would be something that could be done for fiscal 2027. Again, that is the quickest route to get the money to the providers to renovate a lot of these sites, including the NYCHA sites. But yes, again, thank you very much for that.

(01:33:14)

When you talk about the New York City Council budget, we do have a question. Council members allocate NYC Council...

(01:33:23)

...discretionary funding to supplement industry work for a variety of populations including older adult center service contracts and their deliverables. We heard from providers in the last few years that NYC Aging has required providers receiving discretionary funding to hit specific program outcomes related to the intent of the Council discretionary contract in order to receive discretionary funding. Commissioner, can you explain NYC Aging's intent and expectations behind this policy, why NYC Aging requires these additional expectations to unlock Council funding and whether the Council has been consulted on the rollout of this policy?

(01:34:23)

So what we expect is for everyone to provide — for example, there is a budget. Say we give a discretionary expense to a nonprofit and the nonprofit tells us what they want to do. They already have the discretionary description of that funding. And then DFTA comes to say, "Oh, you need to do another thing," one, two, three. A lot of the time, if they do not do it, they do not get the funding.

(01:34:50)

That is what a lot of providers told us.

(01:34:54)

So I would like to get examples of that, because right now the business process the way we do it is — for example, when you do an allocation there is basically the purpose of funds, there is a budget, you give your budget that we request from the provider, and then they provide units. That is a simple process. Nothing difficult. If you can give us examples, because we do — ma'am, we do.

(01:35:14)

Okay. You can give me an example. Like, I just gave $250,000 to my senior center. It was for an educational boat ride, a pool table, exercise equipment. Now it is like the provider I gave it to — it is either they could do it or not. So how are you watching that? We gave out discretionary money and now they do not have to do it. So how are we watching that?

(01:35:53)

Because that is kind of...

(01:35:54)

Right. So there is a business process.

(01:35:56)

That is not what she is talking about. So I am trying to figure out — you give us examples like...

(01:36:00)

That is the example I need to know.

(01:36:01)

So right now, for example in your case, that is money that was given to Fort Greene. Correct? I am just being specific. So we actually ask for a budget — you have a certain allocation and we want to know a budget so we can then track it against the spending. You would want to know exactly what was spent or not. That is how we track it. We know exactly what the line item is and how much it costs.

Again, if the senior center that you or someone gave the money to does not use those allocations for what they are supposed to be used for, what is the recourse? So I would say, for example, we can have a separate conversation to go through the process so you feel comfortable with the whole thing. But again, there is a business process. We do not stop anyone from receiving discretionary funds. That is funding that you give to the providers. We do not stop any of that.

It is kind of like I said — we should have a separate conversation. Give us examples so we can review it, as I mentioned earlier, because it is kind of hard for me to believe this because we really track this every month. We have metrics and we see exactly what the spending is, exactly how many people are invoicing. Matter of fact, we actually go to discretionary providers to ensure that they actually get the money when it is due for them. So we are constantly trying to make sure they submit invoices on time. I am a little taken aback by that, but again we would love to have a conversation to see exact examples of this.

Yes. I would love to really connect with anyone that has an example like this, because DFTA does not want to be a barrier to any one of our sites moving forward on any of their projects. If there is a specific issue or a challenge, we should be able to work together to overcome those hurdles so that our centers and our sites and our older adults have what we want them to have, and particularly if there is money already on the table.

(01:37:48)

The other question I have is not related to senior center DFTA funding. A lot of the time there is a senior group in the basement of a church. Some council members give $5,000 to them to buy coffee every day. They meet — some people meet twice a week, some groups meet three times a week, some close in the summer because the youth need to use the space. This type of organization has a very hard time getting their $5,000 every year and they come to our office all the time. We are told it is a conflict of interest and we cannot help them. But in some people's private time they try to help. Is there any way we can make that process easier and smoother?

(01:38:49)

Well, I welcome your advocacy on this. Maybe there is a way that we can join forces. Again, nine days in, I cannot say definitively that there is, but why should we not explore it? Let us look at it together with some of our nonprofit partners in the community. Maybe there is a way that we can work to better keep folks in those churches or other areas where they feel comfortable and where they feel connected. We do not want to break that connection ever. We want to do all that we can to support them. So let us find a way.

(01:39:21)

I have a nonprofit that has not gotten money since 2023. The other council member before me gave them $5,000. When I went there to visit, they said, "Susan, do not give us money. We cannot get it. It is fake." This is what they said to me. It is fake. So it is very disappointing how hard it is for those small groups — and it is not that small. They have 200 people meeting once or twice a week. If those people do not come out to meet, probably they are going to stay home all week. A lot of people are in wheelchairs. It is very sad that only $5,000 they could not get.

(01:40:04)

I would love to work with you about this issue. This is not just my district that has this issue. A lot of council members have similar issues.

(01:40:12)

Well, let us do a deep dive.

(01:40:13)

Yes.

(01:40:13)

And let us find out where the barriers exist and then let us get them out of the way.

(01:40:19)

I have some questions about housing. We all know — we did a survey among council members — a lot of, most council members said 74% of council members said they have issues about senior housing. Many older adults are unable to afford rent increases and they get kicked out from their building, or some environments do not have level sidewalks or walkways. Our older adults make up almost 20% of our City's population. Does NYC Aging keep track of how many building units our City plans to build and which ones are suitable for senior residents?

In partnership with HPD, we would like to work with them on taking a look at that issue specifically, because we know that there are some monies available for minor repairs and things like that that should help some of these older adults to be able to stay in their homes with minimal modifications that would make it a safer environment. So yes, that is an issue I think we should explore more deeply, because if we can keep our older adults in the homes that they love and prefer, in the communities that they love and prefer, that would be part of our mission at DFTA.

And also I heard from some nonprofit developers that the SARA program for seniors is very slow and very hard to access. Is DFTA able to help us advocate for this issue? Because even when they want to build senior housing first, it is not profitable and the process is very slow. It is kind of discouraging and people do not build. Also, if a developer builds something else, like a homeless shelter, they can make more money. So any developer will definitely choose another plan over senior housing. Is there any way we can work together as a partnership to advocate for this issue?

(01:42:41)

As you know, I see senior housing — seniors and older adults — need to be prioritized when we talk about building affordable housing or any type of setting in New York City. If the goal is for older adults to remain in New York City, then we know they have to be in an affordable place. So yes, we would...

(01:43:02)

...like to advocate along with you. We will work with HPD. We will look at the Cabinet for Older New Yorkers where we have some interagency collaboration that perhaps may be able to assist us in moving this forward. But I would say we need to shake every tree and go down every road that we can in order to ensure that our older adults do get some priority placements and that in all of those contracts for these developers and builders there is some priority for them so that they are looked at before everyone else. I know that may not sound fair to some, but for the older adults that have earned it, they deserve it.

(01:43:40)

Thank you. I love to hear that. And also, I do believe we need to have a plan with HPD and also NYCHA. They have a lot of apartments empty and not fixed. No one is able to move in. I heard that the large number... we have the buildings already built. We only need to fix them and let people move in and have a regular life. But we just do not understand what the problem is there. What is the gap there? Why is it not able to happen? I know it is not your...

(01:44:16)

It is not, but I was just going to make one comment. The cabinet for older New Yorkers includes organizations like NYCHA, so we can have them at the table. Perhaps they can shed some light on the issue for us and they can certainly help us. Maybe we should have a task force for seniors for

(01:44:34)

housing issues. And also, my district in Bensonhurst has the highest number of SNAP theft. That is very bad for all the seniors. How does DFTA work with city agencies to address this issue? Because most of the people getting scammed are seniors.

We have a line of people at the beginning of the month, every single month, and my office came up with a video to teach seniors how to use the app to lock and unlock it. It is very difficult. I have had 30 seniors sitting in my office. Ada, my former deputy chief of staff, gave them training on how to use it. But for seniors, first they do not speak English at all and they do not know how to use an iPhone. It is very high-tech, and as they get older their fingers get bigger. It is very hard to lock and unlock, and then they forget the password. It is impossible for them to use. Then every single month when they open their bank accounts they do not have money there, because the money comes at 12:00 at night, 12:15 in the morning...

(01:45:53)

it is gone.

(01:45:54)

Right.

(01:45:55)

And then it is repeated. We can see it is like some Bronx grocery store. The person living in Brooklyn has no idea where that grocery is. The money is gone and it repeats. We try to have meetings with the state and they always say they will look into it, and then nothing happens.

Well, there are a few ways that we can address this issue and it is a huge issue. We know that there are two forms really of the theft that is occurring with SNAP. One is that the perpetrators are using skimming devices. They somehow extract the client's information from the skimming device. The second is just flat-out identity theft. So in addition to partnering with NYPD — and we do partner with them on this issue — we let them know when we have received reports of this type of incident. I know that they are tracking and specifically looking at the number of older adults that have been affected by this issue.

On the DFTA side, we have outreach to older adults and we are teaching them how to protect themselves from cyber attacks. But as you mentioned, some of it may be technology issues as well, and maybe there is additional training that can be offered in multiple languages so that we can help our older adults protect themselves so that they do not have this issue recurring every month.

(01:47:25)

I have a follow-up question about technology. A lot of the time, seniors — especially people in my neighborhood where English is their second language, and a lot of people do not speak English at all — do not know how to use this high-tech. They do not know how to use an iPad or iPhone. They do not know how to use FaceTime. Different neighborhoods have different needs. This is my neighborhood, and I spoke to some senior organizations and they are doing all the fancy artwork. But how do we address this issue? Can we have more training for technology?

(01:48:08)

Sure.

(01:48:09)

It is not really high-tech. It is really basic training: how to use an iPad or iPhone, how to lock and unlock your SNAP benefits when you are not using it. This type of training — can we advocate for more funding and more training in older adult center neighborhood organizations and partner together with DFTA?

(01:48:32)

Absolutely. I would never say no to additional training in this respect. But I will say right now we have 113 of our centers that offer a technology lab for our older adults, so they can take advantage of that right now. As you mentioned, very basic training — basic things about how to log onto an iPad, how to get into your banking statement, how to use these basic technologies so that you can improve your life every day and protect yourself from cyber threats. So 113 of those centers right now offer it, and of course we should have it at all 308.

(01:49:12)

And also, how much funding is budgeted for the NYC older adult technology program in fiscal 2026 and in the out years?

(01:49:24)

If I do not have that number now, then we will bring that number back for you on how much funding is actually allocated for that purpose.

(01:49:34)

Do you think it is going to get expanded?

(01:49:38)

Well, training — if you think about it, we talked about some budget-neutral things that we can do as well. If we already have trainers at some of these centers, maybe there is an opportunity to expand the training in the places where we already have it. So there are things that we can do. As I mentioned earlier, we want to use innovative approaches, not just the old traditional models that maybe do not work for us anymore. Perhaps there is a way for us to expand training. There is also training that can be offered virtually, and once we start to teach our older adults how to use some of these platforms they may not even have to leave their homes to attend. So let us look into other ways that we can address this problem that may not always call for additional dollars.

(01:50:21)

Thank you. And also we have more questions from CM Zhuang.

(01:50:28)

Hi. So I do have a question about DFTA and the Department of Homeless Services and our shelters. As you know, homelessness is impacting seniors at a higher rate than ever. The fastest growing population of homeless adults are seniors, and I want to know how you can help provide services to those seniors — not just once they have entered our shelter system, but to get them out of the shelters and back into whether it is transitional housing or supportive housing.

(01:51:18)

Absolutely. As noted previously, affordable housing and having a safe place to lay your head at night — that is one of our goals. That speaks to our true mission at DFTA. So it is an area that is on our radar, of course, and with my background I am very well aware of how difficult it is to get older adults into an appropriate setting. It does take some complex solutions for these problems because not everybody fits into a particular bucket. Many of our older adults have different comorbidities that have to be managed, as well as other issues — behavioral and mental health. So we want to be sure that as we are strengthening these settings where we can send older adults, they are really appropriate to the individual we are sending there.

This is an area where I would like to spend a lot more time and advocate strongly to ensure that our seniors and older adults, who have earned the right to age gracefully in place, have a place to call home and someplace that serves as a stable environment for them. We know that when older adults are unhoused it really impacts every area of their life. It is very difficult to maintain your health and very difficult to maintain relationships when you are constantly moving around and may not have that stability. So it is a major area of focus for us.

(01:52:54)

And I just want to follow up on the question about funding. With the recent cuts in federal funding, the City is making that up, but at the

(01:53:05)

same time the City is looking for savings in all of the agencies. Your fiscal 2027 budget is about $32 million less than the fiscal 2026 budget at adoption. And then add to that inflation, rising fuel costs, rising food costs — just about rising costs in everything. So how are you going to be able to balance that and still be able to provide the appropriate services to our senior communities? The question is: the $32 million difference — does that not include the discretionary money?

(01:53:57)

So the reductions you see from point A to point B do not include discretionary. As we mentioned earlier, we tend to look at the budgets every month to see, for example, where specific issues or concerns from providers are coming in — those that are underspending. We move those to cover basic overspending and cover costs. So we have been doing that delicate balance on a regular monthly basis.

(01:54:17)

And I have to say we are not alone in this effort. We are in constant discussions with OMB just to be sure that we have the appropriate funding to be able to continue the services that we need to offer for our older adults. We have older adults who do not want to receive prepared meals but need help buying healthy produce and healthy food that they can cook themselves. And in many places, as I mentioned, we have food deserts and a lack of adequate green markets and supermarkets. How can DFTA help close that gap?

(01:55:06)

Well, DFTA has done a great job in sponsoring farmers market nutrition programs and giving older adults access to coupon booklets. When you look at some of the numbers over the last year or so, we have been able to distribute 70,000 coupons. These booklets have been used through the end of last October. This represents $1.75 million given directly to older adults. We will continue to sponsor these programs because we know there are food deserts in some places where folks cannot get these fresh produce items that are so central to their life and central to their health. We talk about food being medicine. We want to make sure that folks have access to these healthy vegetables and fruits and things that they need for healthy living. So that is one way that we are addressing the issue.

(01:56:10)

Thank you. With the recent start of the new administration, the time required to appoint new commissioners and the budgetary concerns regarding the City's overall fiscal outlook, the preliminary plan did not include many new needs and program expansions. Can DFTA provide the committee with new needs requests that were proposed but not included in this fiscal year?

(01:56:52)

Well, our needs always outpace our resources. Unfortunately, being nine days in, I have not had an adequate chance yet to really assess where the new need capacity would be or where it is that we actually need to focus more of our new needs. So we will ask that we are able to come back and present some of these new needs.

(01:57:16)

Thank you. Regarding the older adult center updates, the preliminary capital plan includes $6.0 million in fiscal 2026 funded by the Brooklyn Borough President for innovation at 15 older adult center sites. Can DFTA confirm the sites are being funded and provide detail on the scope of each project?

(01:57:45)

Yeah, we will share that with you. Yes.

(01:57:47)

It is done. There are basically... it is a new allocation of funding to different sites. They are in the process of the funding being used.

(01:58:01)

Okay, and we will share the list with you.

(01:58:05)

And also there are a lot of capital requests as well. Do you have any idea how many capital requests NYC DFTA has received from providers so far in fiscal 2026?

(01:58:23)

Yeah, we have not received the final number yet, but when we do have that information we will be happy to share it with you.

(01:58:30)

Okay. For the Leonard Covello older adult center upgrade, the preliminary plan includes $7.7 million across five years funded by the Council and an additional $11.3 million across a 10-year capital commitment funded by the administration for this older adult center. What kind of repairs and renovations will this project address at this site? What is the timeline of these repairs?

(01:59:25)

So it is actually a huge project. It is the roof, the boilers, the kitchen. It is a city-owned site. So there is a lot of renovation occurring. We can get back to you again. We do not manage the project. It is being managed by DDC. We can give you exactly the information you want in terms of timeline.

(01:59:42)

So who is overseeing it?

(01:59:43)

DDC. It is a DDC project. It is a city-owned site.

(01:59:48)

So again, a lot of it is repairs to the roofs, the boilers, the elevators. It is a very extensive repair job.

(01:59:55)

So all the repairs are DDC, not you?

(01:59:58)

Right. We do not — like I said, as the commissioner mentioned earlier, we have a capital budget, but a lot of it is managed by other city agencies. A chunk of it is actually managed by DDC. Some of the projects are managed by HPD, some are managed by EDC, and some of them are actually managed by NYCHA. So we work with different agencies to get a lot of these repairs done.

(02:00:20)

The PMMR indicates that there was a decrease in the number of caregiver persons served in the first four months of fiscal 2026. In the first four months of fiscal 2026, a total of 1,971 caregivers were served, a decrease of 20.5% from the previous year. Why are fewer caregivers being served? In my mind, with the data showing the number of people growing, the caregiver numbers should increase. Why is there a decrease?

(02:01:22)

Thank you. I understand that it is an issue that has to do with our data collection methods. So we may not have all of the accurate information there. I would ask that we are allowed to come back and share the information once we have re-evaluated and made sure that it is accurate.

(02:01:43)

Got it. Thank you. The preliminary plan includes $19.7 million in city funding which is baseline beginning in fiscal 2027 for the indirect cost of human service contracts. Why was additional funding required? How does DFTA anticipate additional funding to be added in the out years?

(02:02:33)

So the $19 million is for the indirect cost rate. That is actually the cost for overhead for the providers. That was actually not baselined in the current budget. When OMB funded all the federal funding, that piece was actually missing. So now that is being baselined going forward. The same thing with the COLA — as you mentioned, the $6.9 million COLA for providers is also being baselined. Every three years, providers have an opportunity to submit for their indirect cost rate. Those indirect cost rates are captured in that, and that is part of the increase over time.

(02:03:07)

Does the cost of living adjustment apply to all contract providers in DFTA's network?

(02:03:18)

Yes, as of all contracts effective 2024.

(02:03:22)

Okay. That is it. Yes. CM Mealy?

(02:03:45)

Just in between — I know we gave the $5 million. How is that going?

(02:03:52)

It is going very, very well. We have a lot of — some of them are less than $100,000, so you have a lot of purchases and repairs. Things are going very well. We have two major projects that we are keeping a close eye on. These are huge. One is $650,000. Another one — I do not have it off the top of my head, but we are keeping an eye on them because those are very big, extensive renovations. But overall, we are actually meeting with City Council Finance hopefully by April to give them a status report on exactly all the spending and what is going to be met by June 30th. We really appreciate the $5 million. Hint hint, we would like to have another one for fiscal 2027. Hint hint. I think that is going very well. It was a very good partnership with us. I think that would

(02:04:37)

be really helpful. Again, as I mentioned earlier, this money goes directly to the providers to do a lot of major renovations.

(02:04:44)

That is what I wanted to know — just how it was going and if we do it again will it benefit you?

(02:04:51)

So I will actually also put another pitch in there. I know the commissioner is going to kill me when I get back to the office. We would love to get some vans for transportation. Transportation from point A to point B, because even though we want our seniors to walk more, sometimes the distance to get from point A to point B is a little bit more than we expect. Sorry, commissioner.

(02:05:10)

I absolutely agree. That is perfect. And here, could we put something in there? Because right now to transport my seniors I sometimes have to pay out of my own pocket just to get the vans. They need to travel. So please, let us work on that. And then we need an overview of how many of the DFTA vans are in action and how many are out of action, and what it would take to get the maintenance up and running to make sure that every senior center has a van to take their seniors places.

(02:05:44)

So I just want to give you a little information. There are about 300-plus vans across all our older adult centers. So 300 vans — it is a very big ask to replace all of them. Some of them are more than 10 years old. But...

(02:05:59)

How much would that cost, do you think?

(02:06:02)

We will get back to you on that. I can get you the numbers.

(02:06:04)

Thank you, because I just noticed New York City — I do not know what department — but they got brand new Mustangs. So I am going to start asking: if they could get Mustangs, we could get some new vans. So I am ready.

(02:06:20)

You got a partner right here. Thank you, Chair.

(02:06:23)

Thank you. I actually went to one of the senior centers and they got a new van through our borough president. >> Yeah, from the capital program. I see some nonprofits from my neighborhood also come here. They are probably asking me where is our van. And then we also have CM

(02:06:45)

Abdul, who has more questions.

(02:06:47)

True.

(02:06:49)

So one more question. I promise this will be my last one. The state budget this year — you mentioned, somebody mentioned, people stealing SNAP benefits. The state budget this year proposes money to transition to chip card technology to help stop SNAP skimming, which is affecting thousands of older adults. The legislature is also proposing a victim's compensation fund for those who have had their benefits stolen through skimming, because now there is no recourse when people have their benefits stolen. Would DFTA support a state compensation fund or any other solutions to address SNAP skimming?

(02:07:35)

Well, we always support equity and justice. So definitely we would like to see the same information you have, but we would like to support any initiative that is going to ensure the protection of our older adults from this type of activity.