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

Staten Island Advance Article

Sunday, May 30, 2010

By Peter N. Spencer

Publication & Publisher: Staten Island Advance

Staten Island Advance/Jan
Gathered for lunch at the South Beach Senior Center are, from the left,
Louise Stanley, 71; Carmela Amazziotta, 92; Ripley Williamson, 73;
Grace Gonzales, 62, and 78-year-old Laura Ragone.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As members of the South Beach Senior Center gathered for lunch recently, their conversation was tinged with angst over the possibility that this may be one of their last meals together.

That would be devastating for South Beach residents Irene Van Orden and Gladys Keating, who met at this modest Lamport Blvd. building years ago and have become best friends.

"This place has been our lifeline. For the city to pull the rug from under us is not right," said the 70-year-old Ms. Van Orden.

Ms. Keating, who is 82 and needs an oxygen tank to help her breathe, worries about the effect it would have on her health.

"I live upstairs so it is easy for me now. The staff always makes sure my tank is full. How am I going to get around with my oxygen mask if I don't have this place?" she said.

South Beach is one of four senior centers on Staten Island, and among 50 in the five boroughs, slated for closure at the end of next month.

That number could reach 75 - nearly one third of all senior centers in the city - as New York's Department for the Aging (DFTA) faces one of the bleakest budgets in its history.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest budget reduces DFTA's funding by $66.4 million, or nearly 25 percent -- a cut that could decimate an agency that provides transportation, meals, health care and other essential services to hundreds of thousands of seniors.

The administration blames a mixture of a bad economy, an irresponsible state legislature and dwindling federal funding.

If history repeats itself, most of the cuts will be averted. Almost every year, the mayor proposes cuts to senior services in his executive budget, and the City Council restores those cuts before the budget is passed.

Staten Island Advance/Jan
Fung So Yu, 80, learned English and computer science at the South Beach
Senior Center.

THIS YEAR'S REALITY

But each time, a little money is left on the table -- a few million here, a few million there. And the groups that provide senior services, and the advocates who fight for them, say its becoming harder and harder to stretch their shrinking budgets.

"We have cut staff, we have cut hours, we have cut our food budget. We have cut everything, but it wasn't enough," said Jamie Santoro, the director of the South Beach Senior Center.

The slow erosion of DFTA's budget, some say, is not consistent with the administration's promise to make the city more amenable for one of its fastest growing populations. A year ago, Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn unveiled "Age Friendly NYC," a 59-point plan to increase the quality of life for residents over 65.

The plan was based on a study by the New York Academy of Medicine, which projects Staten Island's senior population - already the highest concentration in the city - will double in the next 20 years to over 100,000.

So far, the city has fallen short of its promise, said Bobbie Slackman, director of public policy for Council of Senior Centers & Services of NYC, a group that represents hundreds of senior centers and senior service providers.

"It doesn't show a commitment. It shows they are good at making a report," Ms. Slackman said. "If you just look at the city's budget document as a planning document, a priority document -- there is nothing in there that shows a commitment to these services."

A STEADY DECLINE

The budget numbers are a mixed bag. In fiscal year 2002 -- which started before Bloomberg came into office -- DFTA had a $245 million spending plan, with $168 million coming from the city. Since then, the city's overall budget has grown by over 50 percent - from $41 billion in fiscal year 2002, to $63 billion - but DFTA's budget has grown by about 17.5 percent. DFTA is slated for a $225 million budget in the upcoming fiscal year, which starts in July. That would be a cut of 9 percent over a decade ago.

Ms. Slackman also pointed out that many senior programs that used to be baselined in the budget are now provided through discretionary funding from the Council and borough presidents.

Those erratic numbers are due to the absence of adequate funding from the state and federal government, said Christopher Miller, DFTA's director public affairs.

The Older Americans Act, the federal funding stream that funds the city's senior centers, has not seen an increase in over a decade, he said.

"At a time when all city government is forced to do more with less, the Age-Friendly NYC effort has found innovative ways to leverage existing resources or establish public-private partnerships to enhance the lives of older New Yorkers. The city will continue to use creative solutions meet the needs of its growing senior population," Miller said.

THE BREAKING POINT

Doing more with less has become impossible, said Nikki Odlivak, president and CEO of the Community Agency for Senior Citizens (CASC) in St. George.

CASC operates four senior centers on the Island, including South Beach, and 15 vans and buses for seniors on a $3.2 million budget. That's $300,000 less than the budget it had when it first got the contract to run senior centers five years ago.

CASC provides 64,000 trips each year to doctor's appointments, grocery shopping and senior centers - down from over 74,000 just a year ago. The services are vital for older Island residents, who live in a borough with few public transportation options.

"There is a disconnect here," Ms. Odlivak said. "If you say you want to make an age friendly city, you have to take responsibility to make it an age friendly city."