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Politics & Government

Senate and Assembly Vote to Restore Senior Center Funding

Fate of Wyckoff Senior Center Hangs in the Balance

The Wyckoff Senior Center and fifty more similar facilities across Brooklyn are one step closer to being able to keep their doors open.

In a move that rejects Governor Cuomo’s proposal to redirect all Title XX funding to child welfare services, The New York State Senate and Assembly each passed budget resolutions Tuesday that would restore Title XX funding for senior centers.

District 52 praised the Assembly’s efforts in a statement.

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“We can’t balance the state budget by cutting services to vulnerable citizens during this economic downturn,” she wrote. “We must protect those who have made lifelong contributions to our communities and continue providing them the services they need and deserve.”

Jose Ortiz Ortiz, Executive Director of RAICES, the Spanish Speaking Elderly Council, which directs the Wyckoff Senior Center, said seniors in poverty are especially in need of services. Ortiz said 87 percent of the seniors who depend on the center live at or below the federal poverty line, at approximately $10,000 per year. 

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Last week at Wyckoff, many were concerned. Elana Batista said that if seniors stay at home, “they’re dying.”

“A lot of people live alone,” she said. “This place allows us to come back to life.”

Aida Ortiz agreed.

“I just became a widow seven months ago,” she explained. “The center has helped me to realize there is something in life to do. This is home.”

Still, the budget is far from finalized. The Senate and Assembly began the great compromise this week, meeting to reconcile their budget resolutions before presenting their final version to Governor Cuomo. Their deadline is fast approaching: the 2011-2012 fiscal year begins on April 1.

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