On Monday, October 5, 2009, the New York State Assembly Committee on Aging held a hearing regarding the economic downturn's impact on senior services. DOROT's Executive Director, Mark Meridy, was invited to give a testimony on the recession's impact on DOROT's programs and services for the elderly in New York. The following is Mr. Meridy's testimony before the Committee.
Good morning. On behalf of DOROT, a partnership of professional staff, volunteers, and seniors that provide services to over 10,000 frail and homebound elderly and their caregivers, I want to thank Chairman Dinowitz and members of the Committee on Aging for allowing me the opportunity to testify this morning. I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Executive Director at DOROT. I hope to work closely with this committee in the future as we collaborate to address the needs of the rapidly growing senior population.
For the purposes of today’s hearing, I would like to focus on three critical areas: our partnerships with foundations and charitable organizations, the increased demand for our services, and alternative sources of support.
Since 1976, DOROT has provided critical services to the frail and homebound elderly through meal deliveries, transitional housing for homeless seniors, health and wellness programs, social companionship, and our award-winning telephone-based educational courses. Through these model programs, DOROT uses a holistic approach to help our elderly clients, whose average age is 89, remain in their homes for as long as possible.
Like many other nonprofits that support the elderly, particularly during the current economic downturn, DOROT is attempting to balance the needs of new and existing clients while identifying cost-cutting measures in programming, staff, and administrative expenditures. These decisions come at a time when DOROT is being asked to provide services that have been significantly reduced or completely eliminated by other organizations due to their financial hardship.
Throughout much of its history, DOROT has worked successfully to secure funding from foundations and charitable organizations. This funding has helped to sustain our Kosher Meals for the Homebound program, our Homelessness Prevention Program, and other programs critical to the mission of the agency. However, like other social service agencies throughout the city, we have experienced the effects of the struggling economy. Some of our funders have reduced their commitment because of the drop in market value of their portfolios while others have completely discontinued funding to DOROT and other nonprofits in the community.
While we have been successful at securing foundation and charitable support, we, like many other social service agencies, expect to see a substantial decrease in this type of funding in the current fiscal year and possibly in subsequent years. I would like to take this opportunity to urge members of the Committee and the entire legislature to provide the necessary appropriations to sustain the critical programs that enable older adults to age in place. I remain hopeful that new and existing foundations will appreciate the need to support this particularly vulnerable population and redirect funds to support organizations like DOROT. However, this coming year, like last year, will not be without a struggle.
Over the years, DOROT has worked with seniors whose chief desire is to age in place. As this population has grown older and frailer, the demand for services that allow them to remain in their homes and avoid institutionalization has increased. Demographic trends indicate that New York City’s population is becoming older and poorer in an environment of reduced government and community services.1 This situation has only intensified in the present economic downturn. In response, DOROT’s staff is providing increased counseling and case assistance to seniors and their caregivers. Cuts to services for seniors mean that the elderly and their caregivers have fewer resources, and must rely on community-based agencies such as DOROT for assistance.
For example, a growing concern for the agency has been the alarming increase in requests for assistance to our Homelessness Prevention Program from middle class seniors who can no longer afford to pay their rent or mortgage because their savings have been diminished or they have lost their jobs. In one instance, we received a call from a gentleman who, for many years, had been subsidizing the cost of housing for his elderly parents. He turned to DOROT for assistance in locating affordable housing for his parents when he lost his own job and was no longer able to cover their housing costs.
At DOROT, we make every effort to serve any senior who comes through our doors. Our challenge lies in balancing the provision of services with the amount of funding available. Although we will continue to do our best to address the needs of our senior, at risk clients, our ability to sustain this commitment will depend largely on the support we receive from our partners in the private and public sectors.
Despite these challenges, DOROT continues to benefit from a unique form of in-kind support: the efforts of our corps of 7,000 volunteers who participate in programs and events at DOROT each year. These include teens, college students, young professionals, and seniors themselves, all of whom have a strong desire to engage and connect with the elderly in a meaningful way. This valuable but often over-looked resource is a vital part of our mission, allowing us to offer a wider range of services to a greater number of elders.
Again, I thank you for allowing me to appear before this committee. I hope my testimony this morning will help you to better understand the challenges DOROT faces each day as we work to meet the needs of our elderly clients. I also hope that each of you understands and appreciates the deep sense of concern and urgency senior service providers share as we collectively work to improve the lives of our senior population.
1According the New York City Department of Planning’s report, New York City Population Projections by Age/Sex and Borough 2000 2030, Section 1:4, 2006, the number of elderly New Yorkers is projected to grow from 937,857 in 2000, to 1,352,375 in 2030, representing an increase of 44.2 percent. Of New York’s total population in 2000, the elderly comprised 12 percent, a figure that is projected to rise to 15 percent by 2030. The federal government’s official poverty measure, established in the 1960s, indicates that 18 percent of elderly New Yorkers live below the federal poverty rate. According to a 2008 report by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity, the percentage of older New Yorkers living below the poverty rate rises to 32 percent when the factors such as the city’s high cost of living and after-tax income are included. Please see: The CEO Poverty Measure at http://www.nyc.gov/html/ceo/html/reports/report.shtml.
