New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams joined advocates and seniors on Wednesday to celebrate the Council’s first-ever capital funding initiative aimed at renovating and repairing older adult centers across the five boroughs.
The City Council allocated $5 million in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget to make these centers safer, more accessible and better equipped to serve New Yorkers.
The new funding will address critical infrastructure needs such as bathroom and floor repairs, HVAC and kitchen upgrades, accessibility improvements, new furniture and appliances and other essential building fixes.
“Seniors are the jewels of our communities, and it’s critical that we invest in the resources and services that meet their needs,” said Speaker Adams.
The initiative follows the Council’s push for greater investment in older adult services during the FY 2026 Preliminary Budget Response, which secured several restorations and baselined services for seniors. The final budget includes $104.5 million in permanent funding to sustain essential older adult programs, nearly $5 million to increase reimbursement rates for home-delivered meals and $2 million for case management support.
With the city’s 65-and-older population growing by nearly half a million over the past 20 years, a 50% increase, older adult centers play a key role in helping seniors age in place with dignity.
City Council Member Crystal Hudson, the chair of the Council's Committee on Aging, said she has visited dozens of older adult centers across the city to see their conditions. Some have state-of-the-art equipment and others are in older buildings that need significant repairs, she said.
"This funding will ensure the city’s older adult centers can serve the growing population of older adults for decades to come," she said.
