On Monday, August 25, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz stood on the steps of City Hall with seniors and residents from throughout New York City to protest the imminent closing of dozens of senior centers and community centers in buildings operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and to call for federal assistance to keep them open. NYCHA has said that unless its funding is increased, it may have to close some of the 136 community centers and 135 senior centers located in public housing developments. Joining Borough President Markowitz were Bobbie Sackman of the Council of Senior Centers and Services, Margaret Simmons of the Marlboro Senior Center and representatives from the Manhattan Borough President’s Office.

“Many of these community centers and senior centers go could dark unless we take action,” said Borough President Markowitz, a proud product of public housing in Brooklyn. “I travel every day around Brooklyn and see firsthand how important these facilities are to so many New Yorkers. No town would ever tolerate the bulldozing of its town square—and we will not tolerate closing these centers.”

Borough President Markowitz is calling on each member of the City’s Congressional and City Council delegations, as well as every public official attending the Democratic National Convention who deals with the federal budget, to work for adequate funding for community and senior centers.

NYCHA, which is currently running a deficit of $170 million, is the largest landlord for the City’s elderly poor. Borough President Markowitz pointed out that, since 2001, NYCHA has qualified for more than $600 million in federal money based on federal spending formulas, but the assistance was never included in Congressional appropriations bills. Additionally, NYCHA pays more than $200 million each year to the City for services such as police protection and sanitation—routine services private landlords receive at no additional cost.

A third of NYCHA tenants are 62 years of age or older, and, according to City estimates, nearly one-third of elderly New Yorkers fall below the poverty line. Adds Borough President Markowitz, “These senior centers are nothing less than a lifeline for thousands. Not only do they provide a way for people with limited mobility to socialize, they are a hub of vital information, and provide meals, access to health care and legal and financial assistance.” He adds that community centers keep children off the streets when school is not in session and “allow kids to be part of an extended family that nurtures them and cares for their well-being in a safe environment.”