The Borough Cabinet on Tuesday discussed affordable senior housing at Borough Hall. Forum Photo by Michael V. Cusenza.
In her State of the Borough address earlier this year, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz reported that affordable housing for seniors is the No. 1 constituent service request in her office.
“In every single meeting with a developer since I took office as borough president, my first question is always, ‘How many units will be dedicated to senior affordable housing?’”
With the issue ever at the fore, the Borough Cabinet on Tuesday hosted representatives from senior-support organizations to learn more about the problem and some solutions available to elder New Yorkers, one of the fastest growing demographics in the borough and the Big Apple.
According to the Council of Senior Centers and Services Inc., one in five older New Yorkers live in poverty; 359,000 elderly city residents live alone; two in three New Yorkers age 70+ pay more than 30 percent of their income on rent; and 37 percent of non-institutionalized elders reported some level of disability.
One of the under-utilized initiatives discussed on Tuesday was the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption program, which can freeze the rents for senior citizens living in the following types of housing in city: rent-stabilized; rent-controlled; Mitchell-Lama and Redevelopment Company buildings (both tenants and co-op shareholders are eligible), HDFC co-ops, and federally-assisted co-ops; and buildings regulated by the loft board.
For more information on SCRIE, including eligibility, benefits and how to apply, visit nyc.gov/site/finance/benefits/tenants-scrie.page.
By Michael V. Cusenza
