Lex Atham Singh testifies for Access Justice Brooklyn
Lex Atham Singh of Access Justice Brooklyn supports Intro 978A, noting the $50,000 threshold hasn't been updated since 2014 while the median cost of living for two older adults exceeds $90,000, and shares stories of older adults at risk of displacement from communities they've lived in for decades.
Good afternoon, everyone.
Thank you for your time.
My name is Lex Atham Singh, and I am a Borshert Fellow in Law and Aging at Access Justice Brooklyn.
I'm here today in support of the bill to increase the senior citizen rent and increase examination and jury household income eligibility threshold from $50,000 to $75,000.
Access Justice Brooklyn has provided free civil legal services to the Brooklyn community for more than three decades.
Our service has recently expanded to include SCRIE injury enrollment and renewal assistance.
Each year, over a quarter of our clients age 62 and older, and many rely on supplemental income to meet their expenses.
Government programs and benefits like SCRIE support their economic security.
Current guidelines require that a household, not just an individual, make less than $50,000 a year.
These income eligibility guidelines have not been updated since 2014.
This number does not reflect the financial reality of aging in New York City.
The mayor's office recently reported that the median cost of living for a household with two older adults exceeds $90,000 a year.
Many older New Yorkers live on a fixed income, and even those in rent-stabilized units may spend over half of their monthly income on rent.
High rent costs chip away at a person's grocery budget, the money they set aside for utilities, and other expenses.
Increasingly older New Yorkers are unable to afford to meet their basic needs, and an unaffordable rent is a major contributor to this issue.
As an advocate for older adults, I often hear the phrase aging in place, referring to an older adult's ability to remain in their home and community as they age.
Many of the older adults that Access Justice Brooklyn works with have lived in their communities for decades.
They have strong bonds with their neighbors and often rely on community resources and members for support.
Many live near the person who helps them with their finances, the person who accompanies them to doctor's visits and the supermarket.
When an older adult can no longer afford their rent, they are pushed out of the community they have long been a part of and call home.
SCRI is a vital tool to keep our neighbors in their homes.
To maintain its vitality, it must be updated to reflect the current cost of living.
This is why I ask you to pass Bill 978A, increasing the income eligibility from $50,000 to $75,000.
Thank you to New York State leadership for already adopting this increase, and thank you all.