CPC Joins Leaders at the Center for an Urban Future’s Forum on Affordability Crisis Facing Older Adults
On December 10th, CPC President & CEO Wayne Ho joined a panel discussion convened by the Center for an Urban Future on "The Affordability Crisis Facing NYC's Older Adults."
The forum brought together Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and leaders from major nonprofit organizations—including the New York Immigration Coalition, United Way of New York City, AARP, and LiveOn NY—to explore how city policies can tackle the unique cost-of-living challenges older New Yorkers face. The discussion focused on the policy actions and investments required to strengthen financial security, stabilize incomes, and expand access to essential supports to address the affordability crisis among older adults.
Wayne stressed the importance of providing language-accessible job training for the fastest-growing immigrant adult populations, ensuring employers hire locally across all ages, and securing stable funding for the community organizations that deliver these services.
The forum highlighted alarming data. Over the past decade, the number of older adults living in poverty has surged by 41 percent across the five boroughs, and today 18.4 percent of New Yorkers age 65+ live below the poverty line. Even more alarming, nearly one in five older adults report no income from Social Security at all—and many others are working longer out of necessity, struggling to keep up with rising costs and insufficient retirement savings.
