Gentile, Greenfield Warn Against Cuts To Senior Centers

The following is a press release from the office of Councilman Vincent Gentile:

CITY HALL – Councilman Vincent J. Gentile joined his colleagues Councilmembers Jessica Lappin (Chair of the Aging Committee) and David Greenfield (Chair of the Subcommittee on Senior Centers), on the steps of City Hall this morning to urge Governor Andrew Cuomo to protect New York’s senior centers and keep “Title XX” cuts off the table.

Standing with fellow New York City Councilmembers along with State Senators, Assemblymembers, seniors and advocates from the Council of Senior Centers & Services, Councilman Gentile expressed his outrage at the seemingly arcane proposal which would redirect federal “Title XX” funds away from the City’s Department for the Aging (DFTA) and drastically maim DFTA’s entire budget for senior centers.

“Title XX cuts would be nothing short of an absolute catastrophe for thousands upon thousands of seniors,” Councilman Gentile said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again: the State cannot balance its budget on the backs of seniors!”

For the past two years, first under Governor David Paterson and then during Governor Cuomo’s first term, a threatened cut of approximately $25 million in funding would have closed over 100 NYC senior centers.