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Nearly $325,000 will be distributed by the Queens Borough President’s Office to support senior centers, homecare, meal services and more, BP Richards said.
By Forum Staff
One year after a dedicated City Department for the Aging funding stream administered by each borough president’s office was eliminated in the Fiscal Year 2021 Expense Budget, the $1.1 million Borough President’s Discretionary DFTA Fund has been restored, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. announced Monday.
Nearly $325,000 of this funding will be distributed by the Queens Borough President’s Office to support senior centers, homecare, meal services and more, Richards noted.
Passed just three months after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting economic devastation, the adopted Fiscal Year 2021 Expense Budget saw millions of dollars in cuts to DFTA, including the elimination of a $1.1 million pool of discretionary funding shared amongst the five borough presidents’ offices and allocated to senior service organizations across their respective boroughs. The cut was vociferously opposed by all five borough presidents, including then-Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee.
“Our elders disproportionally bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. From food and housing insecurity to isolation and the virus itself, which has proven to be deadliest for older individuals, the obstacles our seniors have faced these past two years are numerous,” Richards added. “I’m proud to have fought tirelessly, and successfully, to get this critical funding stream restored this year and I look forward to working with our senior service providers to help improve the lives of the more than 300,000 elders who proudly call Queens home — each one of them deserving of the ability to age with grace and dignity.”
