| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 27, 2007
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 048-2007
Public Advocate Gotbaum: City's Anti-Poverty Efforts Fall Short
- Report finds ACCESS NYC provides inadequate information -
- Senior poverty up 5% over last six years -
MANHATTAN – New York City’s efforts to reduce poverty and increase access to public benefits have fallen drastically short over the last six years, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said today. Gotbaum released a new report evaluating ACCESS NYC, Mayor Bloomberg’s program to help New Yorkers determine if they may be eligible for public benefits, and thereby reduce poverty. The report shows that ACCESS NYC has provides inadequate information for many New Yorkers attempting to access public benefits
A day before the release of the 2006 poverty census figures, Gotbaum also criticized the Bloomberg Administration on its failed anti-poverty efforts.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “For all the talk, the city’s record on poverty over the last six years is one of failure. More families are now homeless. More seniors now face poverty. And more New Yorkers lack health insurance. ACCESS NYC was supposed to lift New Yorkers out of poverty. Instead, it provides inadequate information about accessing basic city services. With a $6 million price tag, I’d expect more.”
Gotbaum’s office also reviewed the some of the administration’s anti-poverty efforts and concluded that among many groups, poverty actually increased:
-Senior Poverty Rate Up by 5% - The poverty rate for New York seniors went up from 15.3% in 2000 to 20.3% in 2005. [US Census Bureau American Community Surveys 2000 and 2005];
-700 More Families Face Homelessness - Today there are more than 700 more families – an 11% increase – entering Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters for the first time than in 2002. [DHS and Preliminary Mayors Management Report 2007];
-100,000 More New Yorkers Face Food Insecurity - From 2003-2005, 15.4% of NYC households were considered to be food insecure. That’s 112,000 more people than in 2000. [NYCCAH Annual Hunger Survey 2006]; and
-300,000 More New Yorkers Without Health Insurance - Since 2002, the number of adults living in New York without health insurance went up by over 300,000. [NYC DOHMH, Community Health Surveys 2002 and 2005]
According to the new report, ACCESS NYC fails to provide New Yorkers with information about state and city tax credit opportunities, links to the application forms for all programs for which eligibility is determined and detailed information about benefits in languages other than English. The report urges the city to take immediate steps to improve ACCESS NYC, including adding application forms, adding more benefit programs, and ensuring that information is available in languages other than English.
The Office of the Public Advocate tested ACCESS NYC in August 2007 by creating profiles for 14 hypothetical households, and then using those households to evaluate the accuracy of ACCESS NYC’s response (i.e., the list of programs for which the household would be eligible).
Click here for the report.
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