Comptroller Stringer and Assemblymember Epstein Call on City to Protect Seniors in Section 202 Housing Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

(New York, NY) – Today, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer and New York State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein sent a letter to New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Louise Carroll and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot outlining the urgent need to protect older New Yorkers living in federal Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 202 buildings, which are dedicated to providing low-income senior citizens with affordable housing and the services they need to live independently, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While the letter makes clear that the federal government should bear primary responsibility for protecting seniors living in HUD-subsidized Section 202 housing, it also expresses a lack of confidence in the federal government’s capacity to act quickly. Therefore, given the urgency of the COVID-19 situation and the high risk seniors face of contracting the virus, the letter urges the City to apply the same level of scrutiny and care to Section 202 developments as nursing homes or other facilities that house older New Yorkers.

There are more than 25,000 seniors living in Section 202 housing who are 62 years of age or older, and almost 7,000 of them are 85 years of age or older. Considering the high risk of contracting the virus among this vulnerable population, Comptroller Stringer and Assemblymember Epstein recommended the City move immediately to assess the needs of every Section 202 building and offer resources to protect its senior residents including issuing clear guidance on staff and resident infections, quarantine protocols, visitor restrictions, cleaning and service requirements, and food and health care needs.

“Older New Yorkers are among the most vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and we must do everything we can to protect their health and reduce their risk of exposure,” said Comptroller Stringer. “There’s absolutely no reason for the disparity in care and services between seniors living in Section 202 homes and seniors in nursing homes and other similar facilities.  If we fail to act quickly, these older New Yorkers will become dangerously susceptible to the threat of this horrible disease. COVID-19 is causing too much pain to turn our backs on thousands of our parents and grandparents during this time of need.  Assemblymember Epstein and I urge the City to take care of them with the same tools, services, and resources that other older adults receive. It’s not just the moral thing to do — it’s what’s best for public health and to relieve pressure on our strained health care system. There’s no time to waste.”

“Failures by the federal government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has left cities and states to quickly take charge to protect the most vulnerable populations from infection. In order to prevent the worsening of this crisis in New York, I’m proud to join with Comptroller Stringer in calling on the City to immediately adopt a commonsense approach to safeguarding the senior residents of Section 202 housing. Action now could make all the difference for the 25,000 New Yorkers at high-risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Assemblymember Epstein.

The letter notes that by preemptively identifying high-risk communities including seniors living in Section 202 buildings and providing preventative care, more lives will be saved amid the pandemic and a lower volume of patients will be entering our health care system for treatment for the disease.

Comptroller Stringer and Assemblymember Epstein outlined the following recommendations for the City to urgently address the needs of older New Yorkers in Section 202 buildings: