For Immediate Release
Release # 2007-120

New York City Council
City Hall, New York, NY 10007
(212) 788-7116

December 11th, 2007

Speaker Quinn, Council Member Arroyo, Council of Senior Centers and Services Release Report on Hunger Among NYC’s Elderly
Study Finds 1 in 3 Seniors Surveyed is Food Insecure

City Hall – Council Speaker Christine Quinn was joined today by Aging Committee Chair Maria del Carmen Arroyo, Senior Centers Subcommittee Chair James Vacca, the Council of Senior Centers and Services, Council Members and advocates to release the results of “Hunger Hurts”, a Council funded study of hunger among New York City’s elderly. The study includes findings on how many seniors are food insecure, broken down by age, gender, and ethnicity, and contains proposals on how to combat hunger in this vulnerable population.

There are 1.3 million people over the age of 60 in NYC with a projected increase of 45% in older New Yorkers by 2030. Meanwhile, levels of poverty among elderly New Yorkers are increasing, with a poverty rate of 20% – twice the national rate. The median income for elderly New Yorkers is only $23,388, while some seniors are living on less than $10,000 a year.

“Through the Council’s work improving food access in New York City we knew that older New Yorkers were suffering from high rates of hunger,” said Speaker Christine Quinn. “But to really direct policy and funding effectively you need hard data, and this report provides us with some startling numbers. These New Yorkers worked their whole lives to make this City great, and now find themselves unable to put food on the table. We owe them better, and we need to be doing more to assist them.”

“The results reported in the Council of Senior Centers and Services hunger study confirm much of what we at the City Council suspected – our City's seniors are in need of consistent and comprehensive services in order to survive day-to-day,” said Aging Committee Chair Maria del Carmen Arroyo. “As a City, we must be very deliberate in our efforts to ensure seniors have access to meals and services that will meet their most basic needs.”

The study found significant levels of hunger among the elderly – more than one out of three or 35% of respondents were determined to be food insecure. Food insecurity can range from worrying about food to being hungry, the most severe form of food insecurity. While food insecurity is overwhelmingly caused by poverty, an inability to shop or cook can also be factors.

“In a city with the wealth and resources we have here in New York,” said Seniors Centers Subcommittee Chair James Vacca, “the idea that seniors are going hungry is unacceptable. With this report, we can focus our resources and make sure that seniors get the nutrition they need and service they deserve.”

“Hunger is a reality among thousands of older New Yorkers,” said Bobbie Sackman, Director of Public Policy, Council of Senior Centers and Services. “This study documents that one third of the seniors interviewed reported 'food insecurity' - the lack of sufficient food, most often due to poverty. We call for a partnership of government, service providers, advocates, and New Yorkers to end hunger among the elderly once and for all. Enacting the recommendations of the report will go a long way towards eradicating hunger. New York City, as a world-class city, is capable. We are certain New Yorkers are willing.”

Other findings of the report include:

• Blacks and Hispanics reported the most serious levels of food insecurity – 33% of Blacks interviewed, and 32% of Hispanics reported being food insecure, compared to only 17% of Whites.

• The 60-64 age group had the highest level of food insecurity and was more likely to report weight loss – with 53% reporting a range from “marginally food secure” to food insecure with and without hunger. Food insecurity with hunger applied to one in three of those in the 60-64 year old population.

• Existing food programs are inadequate – 64% of seniors interviewed in food pantries reported a range from marginally food secure to food insecurity with or without hunger; this was also true for 43% of those interviewed in senior centers, and 52% of those interviewed on the street.

• There is widespread underutilization of food stamps – Three out of five surveyed reported that neither they nor anyone in their households received food stamps. Perceptions and barriers to participation include: 46% did not think they were eligible; 11% had been denied benefits in the past; and 7% thought the benefits were too low.

“Food insecurity plagues many New Yorkers, and this study highlights the extent to which our elderly population is grappling with hunger,” said General Welfare Committee Chair Bill de Blasio. “The numbers speak for themselves – CSCS found more than one out of three people surveyed to be food insecure, and three out of five reported that they are not participating in the Food Stamp Program. As the elderly population grows in the City, we must ensure that older residents at the very least have basic food provisions available to them and are accessing necessary services.”

“As New York's population ages, we need to address the struggles of our growing senior population. Most seniors live on a fixed income, and as we all know, the price of everything is going up – including food. While many people may not realize it, hunger is still very much a problem in New York City today, and this report shows that we need to do more for our seniors,” said Oversight and Investigations Committee Chair Eric Gioia.

“When more than a third of surveyed seniors in New York don't have enough food, our society is failing in a fundamental way,” said Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. “I hope this study provides a wake up call that spurs efforts to improve access to food stamps and other nutrition benefits for seniors. Given all that our elderly have contributed to this city over the decades, the least we can do is to make sure they have enough to eat.”

Contributing to these issues is the fact that thousands of older New Yorkers do not receive Social Security and Medicare. Only about 80% of seniors in New York City receive Social Security, compared to 93% nationally, and 20-25% do not receive Medicare Part A coverage.

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