Testimony Highlighting the Impact of the Digital Divide on New York City’s Senior Homeless Population

OVERSIGHT HEARING T2021-7028:

INCREASING SENIOR ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY

January 22, 2021

The New York City Bar Association, through its Social Welfare Committee, submits this written testimony to highlight the impact of the digital divide on New York City’s homeless senior population.

New York City’s older adult population of over 1.7 million is rapidly growing.[1] Simultaneously, the City faces a severe shortage of subsidized senior housing. As a result, senior New Yorkers have been swept into the City’s homelessness crisis. The number of seniors sleeping in municipal shelters is markedly increasing as a percentage of the overall single adult shelter population. The number of homeless individuals in shelter age 55+ increased by about 250% from 2004 to 2017 and the number of homeless individuals age 65+ increased over 300% during the same time period.[2]

State regulations require that certain services be provided to shelter residents. However, while not currently mandated by law, municipal shelters overwhelmingly lack in one essential service which could reduce the length of residents’ stay and facilitate their exit to permanent housing — access to technology. The City Bar documented this problem. In May 2020, the City Bar Justice Center (CBJC) released a report titled “Homeless Need Internet Access To Find a Home: How Access to Internet and Technology Resources can Support Homeless Families Transition out of Homeless Shelters” (the Report). This report and its recommendations are endorsed by a wide range of organizations, including law firms, legal services providers, corporations, and community groups. A copy of the report and an endorsement list is annexed hereto.[3] The Report lays bare the devastating consequences of New York City’s stark digital divide on the lives of our unhoused neighbors. Without reliable internet access, seniors in shelter are unable to search and apply for permanent housing, apply for government benefits, obtain necessary medical and mental health care, stay connected to friends and family, or even access basic entertainment. These access obstacles take a particular toll on seniors, compounding underlying health conditions and social isolation.

Allowing the lack of access to remain unaddressed is unacceptable. The pandemic has significantly exacerbated the barriers resulting from the City’s digital divide, raising the stakes to literally life-or-death. Access to everything from vaccine appointments, to real estate listings, and governmental offices is accessible online, and such online access is not just preferred, but essential, in order to reduce the risk of virus transmission amongst the City’s uniquely vulnerable senior residents.

RECOMMENDATIONS

New York City has long been a leader in ensuring that its homeless residents have access to shelter, and these times demand that the City now lead the way in providing technology access to its shelter residents, including its seniors. We are dealing with a public health emergency, and it is clear that the City must act quickly in order to meet its basic responsibilities to its unhoused seniors. The Mayor’s Office released an “Internet Master Plan,” a city-wide plan to increase the availability of Internet throughout its five boroughs. However, that plan did not include a single reference to shelters or the unique access needs of our City’s unhoused residents.[4] Similarly, the New York City Department for the Aging issued its Annual Plan Summary in November 2020; however, the Plan fails to identify or address either the digital divide or the unique service needs of seniors residing in municipal shelters.[5]

In July, the City announced it would be accelerating broadband deployment in all five boroughs, prioritizing public housing communities, which have suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic.[6] That announcement also failed to explicitly indicate that City-funded properties serving as shelters would be included. While the City has made some additional commitments in regards to increasing internet access for students residing in shelter,[7] our seniors are being left behind.

We appreciate the extraordinary efforts the City is taking to respond to the current crisis – the pandemic has, and will continue to, expose the cracks in our systems that disadvantage our most vulnerable populations. It is vital that the City ensure that the thousands of New Yorkers who are homeless and residing in shelters are included in these plans, including seniors.[8]

We urge the City Council to help address this digital divide and work with the Mayor’s Office and all related agencies to ensure that City-funded homeless shelters are prioritized in any plans to expand broadband and internet access.[9] This includes providing access to the following in every City shelter:

• Reliable Wi-Fi connections for all shelter residents;
• Updated Internet-ready computers, tablets, or other devices;
• Wireless or Bluetooth printers with scanners, or printers that maintain connections with the shelter’s computers, tablets or other word processing devices.
• Training on how to utilize the technology equipment and navigate the internet.

This must be a sustained commitment and we strongly urge the City Council to consult with all stake holders as it devises a plan to provide internet access in shelters.

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Thank you for your service to New Yorkers during these challenging times. We look forward to working with you to help meet this moment.

Social Welfare Committee
Katharine Deabler-Meadows, Chair