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New York State has long been home to some of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the nation. New York’s ethnic communities — primarily comprised of African American/Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino populations, are not only growing, but also aging at a rapid pace.
Given these changing demographics, AARP convened thought leaders, elected officials and leading organizations that serve New York’s ethnic communities to launch a multi-year effort to identify disparities that exist among their ethnic 50-plus communities and develop an action plan to address and disrupt these disparities.
AARP’s purpose has always been to empower people to choose how to live as they age. Through a societal movement called Disrupt Aging, AARP encourages all to challenge outdated beliefs and spark new solutions to facilitate peoples’ choices. However, key disparities that exist in the areas of health, economic security, and livability among 50-plus New Yorkers of color create inequalities that can limit or even impede their choices.
On January 24, 2018, AARP New York, the Asian American Federation, the Hispanic Federation, the NAACP, and the Urban League released a series of policy briefs highlighting disparities in health, economic security, and livability in English, Spanish, and Chinese. AARP and our partner groups have shed a light on the disparities in these communities and have made key recommendations. Until now, few, if any, proposed solutions have led to the necessary policy changes to address these disparities; nor have they focused on New York’s 50-plus population.
Now, the Rockefeller Institute of Government and AARP New York have partnered to continue this important work.
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+ New York’s ethnic communities — primarily comprised of African American/Black, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino populations — grew in number by 16% from 2000 to 2016.
+ We have the most wealth inequality in the U.S.; the top 1% of earners are paid 45.4 times more than the bottom 99%.
+ Ethnic adults account for a third of the state’s population but only a fifth of homeownership. Ethnic homeowners face higher foreclosure rates, and the ethnic 50+ are twice as likely as Whites to pay over half their income on housing.
+ New York’s 50+ population grew 30% between 2000 and 2015 while the 49 and younger population dropped by 6%.
+ AARP strongly believes that people should be empowered to choose how to live as they age. Through a societal movement called Disrupt Aging, AARP encourages all to challenge outdated beliefs and spark new solutions to facilitate peoples’ choices. However, key disparities in the areas of health, economic security and livability among New York’s ethnic communities create inequalities that can limit or even impede their choices.
+ Given these changing demographics, AARP is convening thought leaders, elected officials and leading organizations that serve New York’s ethnic communities in a multi-year effort to identify disparities that exist among New York State’s ethnic 50-plus communities and develop an action plan to address these disparities
+ Enact legislation that offers private sector workers in New York the opportunity to open individual retirement accounts with low-cost options at their place of employment.
+ Preserve New York’s strong usury law at all costs to defend against predatory lending, small-dollar loans and other exploitative consumer financial products.
+ Support community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to provide sound and affordable loans to people and small businesses in ethnic communities.
+ New York should establish under Governor Cuomo’s Long Term Care Planning a Council a Long Term Services and Supports Disparities Task Force led by New York’s Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention to facilitate communication, coordination, and collaboration among relevant state agencies and communities of color.
+ New York should encourage telehealth, including development and use of culturally appropriate electronic applications for smart phones and health and wellness applications and electronic consultations, by removing legislative and administrative barriers to the employment of these technologies.
+ New York should enact a family caregiver state tax credit to help offset the out-of-pocket costs of family caregivers, which amount to nearly 20% of the average caregiver’s income – 34% for African-Americans and 44% for Hispanics – and to recognize their significant contributions that reduce the demand for state-funded services.
+ Make housing affordable and prevent displacement through inclusionary zoning and support of Community Land Trusts and property tax exemptions to help protect minorities from gentrification and its ill effects.
+ Increase transit and mobility options by improving accessibility within the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) system, and expand resources to support transit investments throughout the state.
Scheduled to begin in 2021, working New Yorkers with no access to a workplace retirement savings plan may have the opportunity to participate in a voluntary workplace retirement savings program that will help them save for their future– so they can live as they choose and be ready for retirement when the time comes. Secure Choice, enacted as part of the 2018-19 New York State Budget, will give private companies that don’t already provide their employees a retirement savings plan the option to offer their workers a payroll-deduction individual retirement account. The program, to be overseen by the state, will be professionally managed by a private investment firm and will be voluntary for both employers and employees. It will offer businesses a convenient, low-cost tool to attract and retain employees and workers an easy and effective way to save – and to continue saving if they change jobs because their IRA will be portable. Private sector workers of color in New York are more likely to lack access to workplace retirement savings options than their white counterparts.
A person’s residence is now considered an originating site to use telehealth services under the Medicaid program. This change, included in the 2019-20 New York State Budget, can help people receive health services without the expense, time and difficulty of in-person visits, while removing another burden for patients’ unpaid family caregivers.
The 2019-20 state budget increased funding for non-Medicaid home and community based services for the elderly by $15 million. These services, which include transportation to medical appointments and help with bathing, dressing and other daily activities, help relieve the burden on family caregivers and allow older New Yorkers to remain at home longer – where the vast majority want to be. National studies have shown that Americans of color have been moving to nursing homes – the majority of which are paid for by taxpayers – at an increasing rate while the percentage of whites moving to nursing homes has declined.
The 2019-20 state budget included $20 million for housing and legal services for vulnerable homeowners fighting foreclosure, deed theft, and other challenges that threaten to displace them from their homes. This replaced funding from bank settlements that ran out.
In 2019, New York State enacted new rent regulation laws, including a prohibition on discrimination against any lawful source of income – such as Social Security checks – to cover housing costs.
The 2019-20 state budget included increased funding for elder abuse prevention.
The 2019-20 state budget includes more funding for kinship programs to help grandparents and other nonparent relatives raising children.
A bill to boost consumer protections against deed theft scams was signed into law in August 2019.
The Student Loan Servicing Act, part of the 2019-20 state budget, created new protections for borrowers and their co-signers, and authorized the Department of Financial Services to license and regulate student loan services while ensuring borrowers are treated with respect and professionalism.
A “payday lending” bill was defeated in 2019, helping to prevent the cycle of debt payday lending creates for all New Yorkers but particularly New Yorkers of color.
Receive new research and data from the Disrupting Racial Disparities Project.
We want to hear your ideas to help close the gaps that exist in communities of color. It is our goal that these solutions be put into action to help all communities enjoy the same stability and equal footing, thus offering more choices for how and where all New Yorkers live as they age.
Share your thoughts and solutions with us by email at [email protected]
