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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline DECEMBER 26, 2025 | The Indian Eye 25

NYC Department for the Aging

Celebrates 2025 Accomplishments

OUR BUREAU
New York, NY

ver the last three years, NYC
Aging advanced efforts to
Oeliminate ageism and ensure
that older adults live safely and stay
active in their communities.
Over the last several years, New
York City established several pro-
grams and initiatives that have en-
sured the city’s growing older adult
population remains at the forefront
of policy discussions so they could
thrive in their communities. These
initiatives, along with the growth of
the Department for the Aging (NYC
Aging), have helped the city prepare
for its future.
In 2025, NYC Aging continued
its mission allowing older adults to
live the quality of life they deserve,
working to reduce ageism and food
insecurity. New data was also re-
leased to help identify what older
New Yorkers need to age in place,
and the agency continued to collab- New Yorkers to enjoy. The haters for its efforts to fight ageism. Two in- cy’s official podcast, Aging Out Loud,
orate with sister agencies on discus- may have doubted us, but the results tergenerational programs were des- featuring government officials, aging
sions about what it means to age in are clear. On issue after issue, we ignated as Programs of Merit by the experts, and frontline service provid-
every borough. brought common-sense leadership national organization Generations ers. A major advertising campaign,
“We took office with a simple to create a safer, more affordable United. The NYC Public Schools Ageism Stops With You, was also
promise: to ‘Get Stuff Done,’ and, city, and our work has changed our Anti-Ageism Resource Guide equips launched across television, transit
four years later, our administration city for the better; it will stand the teachers with tools and resources systems, LinkNYC kiosks, social me-
can say we delivered that every day test of time because we made New to educate students about ageism. dia platforms, and local newspapers
for working-class New Yorkers,” York City the best place to live and During the past school year, more to educate the public about ageism.
said Mayor Eric Adams. “We drove raise a family.” than 1,800 students participated, and Significant budget invest-
shootings to record lows and pushed The agency’s core programs Next50 awarded $400,000 to expand ments were secured in 2025. With
jobs and small businesses to record remained strong, with the average the program citywide. COVID-19 stimulus funds ending,
highs. We rewrote the playbook on daily number of participants at older The second program, My NY $81.5 million was restored to NYC
homelessness and mental health to adult centers rising by more than one Story, brings older and younger New Aging’s budget to prevent service
finally get New Yorkers living on our thousand in Fiscal Year 2025. Also in Yorkers together at 10 NYCHA com- reductions. Reimbursement rates
streets the help they need, and, after Fiscal Year 2025, NYC Aging’s pro- munities that host both Department for home-delivered meals increased
decades of half-measures, passed viders served 10,279,767 meals — the of Youth and Community Devel- from $9.58 to $14.78 per meal, and
historic housing legislation to turn third year in a row that over 10 mil- opment cornerstone programs and more than $9 million in additional
New York into a ‘City of Yes.’ We lion meals have been served. To pro- NYC Aging older adult centers. In funding was allocated to caregiving,
overhauled the way our students mote healthy and nutritious foods 2025, 100 residents participated, en- transportation, case management
learn to read and do math, cut the at older adult centers, the inaugural gaging in more than 100 storytelling programs, and Aging Connect.
cost of childcare, and forgave med- Plant-Based Cookoff was held, fea- hours. Many of these achievements
ical debt. We eliminated taxes for turing nine chefs from older adult NYC Aging continued to ad- build on age-inclusive policies insti-
low-income families, launched free centers who showcased the creative vance public discussion around age- tutionalized in recent years. In 2022,
universal after-school programming, plant-based meals they serve. ism and what it means to age in the Mayor Adams created the Cabinet
and took steps to reduce ageism by Building upon age-inclusive pol- city. The agency released The State for Older New Yorkers, bringing to-
putting older adults at the center of icies already underway, 3,000 mem- of Older New Yorkers, one of the gether dozens of City agencies. Since
policy decisions through the Cabinet bers of the NYPD were trained this most comprehensive studies it has then, the NYPD has placed an Older
for Older Adults and increasing ac- year on what elder abuse is and the ever conducted, revealing what older Adult Liaison in every police precinct
cess to caregivers, healthy meals, and resources available through the City New Yorkers and caregivers need to and service area, and 36,465 NYPD
benefits. We got scaffolding off our to support older adults who need age in place. members have been trained to iden-
buildings, trash bags off our streets, these services. Public engagement expanded tify elder abuse and connect older
and opened up new public spaces for NYC Aging was also recognized further with the launch of the agen- adults with City resources.

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