CSCS: Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, Inc.

Staten Island Advance Article

Protest focuses on impact on centers and funds for borough presidents

Friday, May 22, 2009

By AMISHA PADNANI

ADVANCE STAFF WRITER

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Riding the bus is more than just a form of transportation for 71-year-old Manmohan Kaur. It's a lifeline that takes the Grasmere resident to the South Beach Senior Center five days a week, where she sings, dances, exercises, beads jewelry and spends time with friends. This isn't just any bus, however. It's a door-to-door transportation system run by the Community Agency for Senior Citizens, and it's one of many services facing elimination because of harsh budget cuts. With her severe arthritis making it hard to walk, Ms. Kaur said she would not be able to get to a bus stop everyday to take a city bus. Ms. Kaur was among more than 300 senior citizens from across the city who stood on the steps of City Hall yesterday holding signs reading "The Deeper the Hurt" and shouting, "No more cuts!" as part of the annual Senior Advocacy Day, organized by Bobbie Sackman , director of public policy for the Council of Senior Center and Services. Their focus was on two types of cuts from the Department for the Aging (DFTA): A 5 percent across-the-board cut to senior centers and $7.5 million allotted to the city's five borough presidents, $850,000 of which goes to the Island's James P. Molinaro. That $850,000 helps fund 16 programs across the Island . Without the allotment, those programs would have to compete with senior services throughout the city to get the same funding. Many would be abolished. The largest recipient is Nikki Odlivak's transportation program, which receives $325,597 from the borough president to operate 15 vans and buses that make 76,000 trips a year. Without it, many seniors said yesterday they would be stranded in their houses. "It's going to be very hard for us," said Claire Lamantia, who has lived in the Cassidy-Lafayette Houses for nine years and relies on the bus to get to the supermarket, the bank, to doctors' visits and pharmacies. Without the service, she would have to take the S44 bus to the S48, a commute she can't manage anymore. "And the bodegas in our neighborhood are double and triple the price," she said. "I don't know what we're going to do." A spokesman for DFTA said the decision to make the cuts was not easy. "DFTA worked conscientiously to minimize the impact of budget reductions on New York City seniors as much as possible," said Christopher Miller. "Our ultimate goal is to sustain quality programs that support older adults in pursuing active, independent lives." Those rallying yesterday said they hoped the City Council would vote to restore the cuts. As part of the day's events, representatives of more than 100 senior centers met with 46 City Council members. Amisha Padnani is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at padnani@siadvance.com.