Seniors centers have been closed for 7 months, but providers have been asked to blindly agree to redesign the system for the next 3 years to a decade

NEW YORK – Today, Council Member Margaret S. Chin released the following statement to affirm her call on the Department for the Aging to revise the Senior Center Concept Paper and delay the Request for Proposals until FY23, which starts on July 1st, 2022:

“Senior centers have been at the forefront of serving the most vulnerable and at-risk New Yorkers during this pandemic.

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NEW YORK – Council Member Chin released the following statement on the recent announcement from the de Blasio Administration to relocate homeless residents of the Lucerne Hotel:

“While I welcome the possibility to expand safe shelter options in Lower Manhattan, it is increasingly clear that Lucerne residents have not been brought to the table in the City’s planning conversations. Their voices and needs should be centered to determine the best solutions for their long-term stability. 

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CITY HALL – Today, Council Member Margaret Chin, Speaker Corey Johnson, and Council Member Mark Levine are leading a charge to initiate a dialogue and timeline to reopen senior centers. Older adults in New York City have been in strict confinement for more than five months now, and City Hall has not yet provided transparency on a plan to safely reopen senior centers, which vulnerable seniors depend on for nutritious and culturally sensitive meals and case management services.

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NYC Council provides first major capital investment and ADA accessibility to the center since it was built in 1950s

LOWER MANHATTAN – Today, Council Member Chin joined with Hamilton-Madison House staff and Smith Houses residents to announce long-awaited funding to upgrade the 50 Madison Street senior center. The center has been a cornerstone in the Smith Houses community since it was built in the 1950s, serving as a gathering place for supplies and shelter when Superstorm Sandy hit.

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Almost 1 million pounds of fresh produce and groceries delivered door-to-door since March between two groups

Pols also announce funding for community center for Vision Urbana to grow food access efforts

Pols also announce funding for community center for Vision Urbana to grow food access efforts

LOWER EAST SIDE – Today, Council Member Margaret S.

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NEW YORK – Council Member Chin issued the following statement on the passage of the FY21 budget:

“My biggest priorities entering this year’s budget negotiations were simple: I wanted to fight to correct the wrongs in the Mayor’s proposed budget, protect as many social safety net programs on the chopping block as possible, and divert significant funds from the NYPD budget – which at the point of budget proposal was virtually unscathed while critical initiatives and programs focused on COVID-19 relief bore the brunt of cuts. 

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NEW YORK – In a vote of 45 to 2, the New York City Council passed legislation led by Council Member Chin to allow small property owners in the Lower East Side and Chinatown, who have been adversely affected by COVID-19, to defer their July 1 property taxes to October 15 at a reduced interest rate from 18% to 7.5%. 

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CHINATOWN – Council Member Chin issued the following statement regarding the future of 70 Mulberry, which suffered a debilitating fire in January 2020 causing the displacement of its nonprofit tenants:

“While I am thankful that City Hall granted the community’s requests for a town hall on 70 Mulberry to allow residents to help shape the future of this building, the community must be prepared with the information we need to share our feedback. I urge the City to immediately release the name and credentials of the 3rd party contractor as well as the full engineer’s report.

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On top of inadequate funding and unrealistic deadline, providers have now been told to stop enrolling new clients

NEW YORK – Today, Council Member Margaret S. Chin released the following statement to renew her call to the Department for the Aging to postpone the Home Delivered Meals (HDM) Request for Proposals deadline, currently due this Monday, June 1, despite contracts not slated to begin until January 21, 2021:

“The Home Delivered Meals program has a strong track record of delivering reliable culturally sensitive meals to homebound seniors while prioritizing community-based partnerships and incorporating case management into its delivery services.

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NEW YORK – Today, Council Member Margaret S. Chin issued a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio to provide emergency relief to long-suffering small property owners of tenement buildings in Chinatown and the Lower East Side, the overwhelming majority of which house rent-stabilized and rent-controlled units at deeply affordable rents.

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, these small family property owners have been struggling to keep up with disproportionately high operating expenses and property taxes.

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