Bad news from the city today. Due to proposed budget cuts in Albany, 105 senior centers in the five boroughs may be forced to close. According to City Councilmember Margaret Chin’s office, six of those centers are on the Lower East Side. They are:
- BRC Senior Nutrition Program, 30 Delancey
- Educational Alliance, 197 East Broadway
- LaGuardia Senior Center, 280 Cherry Street
- Smith Houses Senior Center, 50 Madison Street
- University Settlement Nutrition, 189 Allen Street
- Polish & Slavic Center, 103 East 7th Street (District 2)
Last year, our elected officials and neighborhood activists fought to save LES senior centers and they were, for the most part, successful. This year, the budget climate is even worse, so it might be even more difficult to restore funding. More to come…
UPDATE 7:05pm: All but one of the centers are in District 1, Chin’s district. Tonight she released the following statement:
I have reached out to my fellow elected officials at the State and Federal level and we will stand united in protecting these… centers from being closed. Governor Cuomo’s budget again and again targets the most vulnerable members of our community — from seniors to our children. But I know that the seniors in lower Manhattan are ready to fight back. These senior centers are home to some of the proudest and tenacious members of our community. They will not let their way of life be attacked. They will not be victims. They will remind Governor Cuomo that there are people behind these budget numbers. Cutting funds for senior citizens severs a lifeline to integral health care, nutrition, and counseling services. In District 1, these cuts disproportionately affect centers that serve Asian-American, immigrant, and other underserved minority populations. It is because of this community’s widespread dependency on senior centers that we face such a high number of potential closures. It is textbook cutting services to those who rely on them the most. These cuts jeopardize people’s lives while refusing to extend the millionaire’s tax and raise revenue from those who can afford it.
