At 72 years old, Tomás Euvin spends his days in this center for the elderly in Queens. Although he came to NY 30 years ago, he was not always able to contribute to social security and that now takes its toll on him.
“What Social Security gives us is not even enough for the rent, so we have to resort to certain places where they provide us with food for the day. What they give me is 300 dollars a month, and I pay 700 dollars in rent,” says Euvin.
Like him, Lucy Rojas also struggles to make ends meet with the little money she receives from retirement.
“We have to be buying just what is necessary, because we don’t have enough money to be buying, there isn’t, the check they give us from social security is not enough. There we are, ”she assures.
According to recent surveys, the population of older adults has grown remarkably, but at the same time poverty among them has increased.
The study conducted by the Center for the Urban Future of New York.
The population of older adults in New York City grew by 36% in the last 10 years, the highest number in the history of the capital of the world.
In total, 360,000 people over 65 years of age are now added to the almost one million and a half thousand, 495 older adults.
The county that increased its population in this segment the most is Queens, almost 40% more, of which the majority are Latinos.
This is stated by Melissa Lent, from the Center for Urban Future:
“More than half of the older adults in Queens are immigrants and a growing number are Hispanic, what is most alarming is that the majority of older adults living in poverty are Hispanic.”
The organization says the state and federal government should do more to help them.
At least in centers like this one in Corona, older adults combat the lack of economic resources by spending time together and entertained in games, and from time to time a good dance.
Carmen Urrutia, Comfort Adult Daycare Center considers that these centers are very necessary for this population group:
“And here they feel a little hot, they have a place to be during the day, sometimes they don’t have heating, air conditioning and here they are given that.”
“Thinking that I am at home doing nothing and coming here and finding this environment, that helps me to live”, Amira Beatriz Barros tells us.
