Subcommittee on Senior Centers and Food Security meeting
February 19, 2026, 1:00 PM
Jointly with the Committee on Aging
The Subcommittee on Senior Centers and Food Security held an oversight hearing on conditions at older adult centers, and heard Int 0238-2026, which would establish a grab-and-go meal program at those centers, and Int 0280-2026, which would require home-delivered meals to be available every day of the year.
What was discussed
- Co-Chairs Zhuang and Mealy open a joint hearing on older-adult-center conditions and two meal bills Committee on Aging Chair Susan Zhuang and Subcommittee on Senior Centers and Food Security Chair Darlene Mealy opened the joint hearing, noting older adults are the fastest-growing segment of the city and that many older adult centers—especially those in NYCHA buildings—need repairs; they introduced
- NYC Aging backs the meal bills' intent but flags federal rules and operational costs Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray of NYC Aging (DFTA) testified that the agency served a record 10 million-plus meals last year and supports the intent of both bills, but cautioned that the Older Americans Act's Title 3C1 requires congregate meals to be consumed on site—creating federal
- How many older adult centers are there, and how many sit in NYCHA buildings? Chair Susan Zhuang asked NYC Aging to quantify its network; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said the agency funds over 300 older adult centers split roughly in thirds among privately owned, city-owned, and NYCHA buildings, with about 106 located in NYCHA facilities, and agreed to follow up
- Does home-delivered meal service accommodate dietary needs, and are the trucks inspected? Chair Darlene Mealy pressed NYC Aging on how the 17 home-delivered-meal providers handle vegan, kosher, halal, and other needs and whether trucks avoid cross-contamination; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said meals are tailored to each recipient's assessed plan without separate trucks
- Where is the $5 million in center repairs going, and why so little NYCHA transparency? Council Member Gale A. Brewer and later Chairs Zhuang and Mealy pressed NYC Aging on the $5 million capital investment and repairs in NYCHA-based centers; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said his team tracks roughly 120-plus projects prioritized by health and safety, that NYCHA repairs
- What is the timeline to reopen shuttered NYCHA senior centers like Glebe? Council Members Amanda C. Farías and Shirley Aldebol raised centers closed for HVAC, mold, and plumbing problems—Glebe Senior Center and one at Balcom/Randall Houses—where seniors are being bused far away; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said NYC Aging holds biweekly taskforce meetings
- What would grab-and-go at every center and seven-day home delivery cost? Chairs Zhuang and Mealy asked NYC Aging to price expanding the meal programs; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said 113 centers already offer grab-and-go and that the Commissioner previously estimated seven-day home delivery under Intro 280 at about $27 million, cautioning the figure could
- Are seniors actually required to pay for their congregate meals? Chair Darlene Mealy challenged NYC Aging on centers charging seniors for meals; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray clarified that the Older Americans Act requires programs to request a voluntary contribution—not a mandatory fee—that a sign should note it is voluntary, and that collected funds
- Does NYC Aging support seven-day meals, and what innovations already exist? Asked directly whether NYC Aging supports Intro 280, Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said the agency supports the bill's intent to expand services and wants to work through implementation; he highlighted existing innovations including a farmers-market voucher program (70,000 $25 vouchers
- What is NYC Aging doing to fix the glitchy VIVE data system? Council Member Gale A. Brewer asked about problems with the new VIVE data system and whether providers would be held harmless; Executive Deputy Commissioner Ryan Murray said the system launched last year, is improving through a provider user group, and will be maintained in-house going forward, and
- Independent Budget Office lays out older-adult poverty and DFTA's meal budget Amanda Raikes-Williams and Jacob Berman of the Independent Budget Office testified that the share of New Yorkers 65+ rose from 15% to 17% since 2020 while older-adult poverty grew, and that older adult centers and home-delivered meals make up $348 million—56%—of NYC Aging's budget; they noted OAC
- AARP New York: meals are essential, and DFTA gets under half a percent of the budget Kevin Jones, Associate State Director of Advocacy at AARP New York, testified in support of both meal bills and expanded congregate meals, stressing that meals prevent malnutrition and hospitalizations, that expansion must come with funding so providers aren't overburdened, and that DFTA receives
- Legal Aid Society: expand grab-and-go hours and add meals, medically-tailored options, and groceries Jeannine Cahill-Jackson, Director of Elder Law at the Legal Aid Society, supported both bills and proposed enhancements: grab-and-go hours around lunchtime (11 a.m.–3 p.m.) to accommodate appointments, more than one home-delivered meal a day, eligibility for people receiving eight or more hours of
- LiveOn NY: fix the capital rules blocking NYCHA-center repairs and raise stale meal rates Kevin Kiprovski, Director of Public Policy for LiveOn NY (110+ aging-services organizations), supported both bills and detailed structural fixes: investigate the true cost of bringing all centers up to standard (the city pegs NYCHA centers alone at $1 billion), reform capital-eligibility and
- Citymeals on Wheels: the city funds only one meal a day, five days a week Jeanette Estima, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Citymeals on Wheels, supported both bills, noting the city's home-delivered program provides only one weekday meal a day and that Citymeals privately raises funds—over $14 million for 1.4 million meals in FY25—to cover weekends; she described
- Goddard Riverside: don't spend capital dollars on repairs NYCHA should own Khristel Simmons of Goddard Riverside testified that city capital dollars are too often used for landlord obligations—roofs, plumbing, heating—citing a center at Isaacs Houses with a roof leaking since 2024 that forces program cancellations counted against the provider, not NYCHA; she called for a
- United Neighborhood Houses: unmet capital needs worsen as storms intensify Anita Kwok, a policy analyst at United Neighborhood Houses, supported both bills and testified that aging buildings and equipment face chronic, unmet capital needs—HVAC, accessibility, kitchens, leaks and flooding made worse by climate change—and that unstable Council discretionary funding is no
- BronxWorks: grab-and-go could add thousands of meals per center Solomon Smart, Associate VP of Older Adult Programs at BronxWorks, testified about aging infrastructure—an East Concourse center roof due for replacement after 19 years and HVAC costs drawn from limited budgets—and endorsed enhanced capital funding and Intro 238, estimating grab-and-go could let
- Sunnyside Community Services: weekend meals are a lifeline, not just nutrition Shyvonne Noboa, Associate Executive Director for Older Adult Services at Sunnyside Community Services, strongly supported Intro 280, explaining that her case managers approve seven-day meals but hot delivery runs only five days with frozen weekend meals; she said deliveries provide wellness checks
- SAGE NYC: grab-and-go meets the needs of isolated LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive elders Debra Knight, Senior Director of Programs at SAGE NYC, supported Intro 238, testifying that LGBTQ+ elders and older people living with HIV are more socially isolated and food insecure—transgender and BIPOC elders twice as likely to report food insecurity—and that SAGE's existing grab-and-go meals at
Agenda
3 items
- T2026-1248 Oversight - Conditions at Older Adult Centers. Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0238-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a grab-and-go meal program at older adult centers Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0280-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring home-delivered meals be delivered each day of the calendar year Hearing Held by Committee