Encore Community Services Reacts to Fiscal Year 2027 Financial Plan

Encore Community Services CEO Jeremy Kaplan issued the following statement after Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin announced a deal on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.

“Encore Community Services is encouraged that the New York City Office of the Mayor and the New York City Council agreed to baseline $12 million, the amount needed for New York City Department for the Aging providers to deliver six meals a week to homebound older adults. This is a meaningful step in the right direction and reflects growing recognition that older adults need to eat every day, and hunger does not take the weekend off. We especially want to thank Council Speaker Julie Menin and Council Members Linda Lee and Susan Zhuang for their advocacy on this issue.

Immense gratitude to LiveOn NY, AARP New York, and all of the direct service providers who lifted their voices and fought hard to achieve this significant milestone for older adult nutrition in New York city.

But we need to recognize that homebound older adults will receive their seventh (Sunday) meal through private charity that is stretched to its limits because public funding remains insufficient.

At Encore, we see every day that a home-delivered meal is about more than food. It supports health, safety, dignity and independence. It is also a knock on the door, a wellness check, and a reminder to older adults that they are not forgotten.

Funding a sixth day is progress, but not enough. Older adults need meals 365 days a year, and the City should make that commitment in the budget.

New York City has an opportunity to move from temporary fixes to structural reform. We urge the Mayor, Speaker Menin and the City Council to build on this important step and guarantee that every homebound older New Yorker who needs a meal can count on one, each day of the week.”

About Encore Community Services: Encore Community Services empowers older adults to thrive in the communities they call home. Through nutritious meals, engaging programs, and meaningful social connections, Encore supports older New Yorkers in living independently - with dignity, purpose, and respect. Our work spans vibrant community centers where hundreds gather daily, home-delivered meals for those with the greatest need, comprehensive care planning and case management, and supportive housing initiatives. Across all services, Encore ensures that older adults remain nourished, engaged, safely housed, and deeply connected to their communities. Learn more at https://www.encorenyc.org.