| Releases & Statements
Report Highlights City's Shortfall in Providing Meals to Most Needy Seniors
(New York, NY, October 2, 2002) -- Continuing an investigation into the hunger crisis in New York City, Public Advocate Betsy release a report today that reveals a huge gap between the city's ability to provide food to its neediest seniors and their need for meals. According to the findings, only 18 percent of eligible homebound seniors receive food from Meals-on-Wheels. Additionally, if every qualified senior living below the poverty level accessed meals at senior centers, only 46 meals per person would be available each year.
"New York's seniors should not go hungry. Yet statistics suggest that there are not enough meals for even the neediest seniors - the homebound, those below poverty level and recent immigrants. Now, during an economic slump - when food pantry use by seniors is up across the city - and as the city's population ages, it's time for the city to look ahead and expand programs," said Gotbaum.
One of Public Advocate Gotbaum's recommendations - based on this report and a previous report on the food stamp program - would not cost the city a dime beyond administrative cost already largely incurred: "We should immediately start delivering more federally funded food stamps to our seniors. We're not doing nearly enough now," said Gotbaum. According to sources, New York City has not tapped into an estimated $500 to $900 million worth of food stamps.
Gotbaum also recommends that the city:
1. Conduct and publish an annual comprehensive assessment of senior nutrition needs;
2. Improve outreach effort for available senior nutrition services;
3. Create a Master Plan for senior nutrition services.
Altogether, nearly 1 million seniors reside in New York City, and 156,636, or about 1 out of 6, live below the federal poverty level poverty level. Aside from a lack of available meals, Gotbaum's report also identified that there are only 344 Department for the Aging run senior centers in the city, which translates to 1 senior center for every 465 seniors living below the federal poverty level.
A recent New York City Department for the Aging study found that 58 percent of seniors feel they are "just getting by." The current gap in services is only expected to worsen as the city's population ages in the coming years. The Administration for the Aging forecasts that by 2030 one in five people will be over the age of 65.
Seniors at highest risk for malnutrition are not only the poor, but also those who live alone and are homebound. Nearly a third, or near 300,000 of New York City seniors live alone and over 90,000 high-need seniors are homebound.
"There is a crisis now and its only going to get worse if the city fails to act," said Gotbaum.
"The city must reach out to these seniors to let them know about programs available to them, including senior centers, Meals-on-Wheels and food stamps. We must also expand nutrition services citywide," added Gotbaum.
The report also breaks data down by borough. Among the most significant findings are:
Brooklyn demonstrated the highest overall need for senior services, followed by Queens, Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island.
Brooklyn has an estimated 30,022 homebound seniors, the highest number in the five boroughs, but only 16% are currently served by Meals-on-Wheels.
Queens has 5423 elderly per senior center, the highest ratio in the five boroughs. If Queens' centers served all the borough's seniors living below the poverty line, only three meals a year would be available to them.
Recently arriving immigrants also add pressure to an already taxed system. Over 45,000 seniors moved to New York City from other countries in the past decade. They use fewer services and are more likely to live in poverty. Brooklyn and Queens have the highest rates of senior immigration, at 23,294 and 14,363, respectively.
"The city must study these needs in order to create a master plan for the expansion of services to meet the growing need. Through well-planned nutrition services we can help our seniors lead healthy and active lives," said Gotbaum.
Based on the findings in this report, the City Council's Subcommittee on Senior Centers will be holding an oversight hearing on November 7th.
Councilmember Diaz, chair of the City Council's Aging Committee, had the following to say, "I am in full support of the Public Advocate's recommendation due to the fact that many of our seniors in the poorest neighborhoods often have to decide between eating or buying prescription drugs. By providing substantial nutritional services for seniors, it would prevent many of them from going hungry."
Councilman Michael C. Nelson, chair of the Council's Subcommittee on Senior Centers said, "We need to do more outreach to the Senior Community via Senior Centers, DFTA, the Media and other creative ways to meet the vital nutritional needs of our seniors. Our Aging population expects our help and we must respond."
Gotbaum believes this issue needs to be addressed immediately, and cautions that budget problems should not railroad any attempts to provide seniors in need with meals, "Our figures show that far from cutting the senior centers' budgets, the city must find a way to expand senior nutrition services." The Public Advocate previously released a report, Stamping out Hunger, that looked at the problems surrounding the food stamp program including decreased use, a long application process, denial of stamps for the eligible, and access problems.
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