Chair Hanif on DRIE age demographics and outreach gaps
Hanif emphasizes DRIE is not an older adult program with eligibility starting at 18 and average recipient age of 64, notes working-age disabled tenants won't see themselves in senior-focused outreach, and asks about targeted outreach before thanking staff and colleagues.
To return to DRI, I want to make clear that this is not an older adult program.
Eligibility starts at 18, and the average DRI householder is 64 years old, 13 years younger than the average SCRI recipient.
A working-age tenant with a disability is unlikely to see themselves in outreach built around older adult centers and mailings to seniors.
When a benefit is bundled under a heading that doesn't describe you, you don't apply for it.
Today, I want to hear from the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and the Department of Finance about how outreach efforts attempt to reach that New Yorker specifically.
Thank you to the administration for being here today and to the disability advocates, tenant organizers, legal service providers.
And members of the public who have traveled to testify or submitted written testimony.
Your presence here is an act of self-advocacy, and we do not take it for granted.
Thank you to all of the staff who have made today's hearing possible, including the Disabilities Committee staff, Senior Legislative Counsel Sarah Sucher, and Senior Legislative Policy Analyst Chloe Rivera.
And Emmett Teran, my legislative director and senior advisor.
And Simone Lavin, my communications director.
I would also like to recognize that we've been joined by Councilmember Ressler, and I will now pass the mic back to Chair Zhuang.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I will now pass the mic to Councilmember Marte to give a statement on his legislation.