The number of older adults in poverty in Rochester increased 70% from 3,633 in 2011, to 6,175 in 2021, according to recent data from a report commissioned by the AARP in New York.
The study also stated that Rochester has the second-highest rate of older adult poverty of any county or city in the state, with 22% of its 65+ population living below the poverty line.
That information, contained in a report compiled by Center for an Urban Future, was eye-opening for Aqua Porter, executive director of the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty initiative, who said she was “gobsmacked” when she saw that data.
This week, AARP sponsored a roundtable discussion in several upstate cities, including Rochester, titled “Vital Voices: Insights for the Future of Aging.”
Porter said poverty cuts across all sorts of demographics, including age and race, and that actually can be helpful in trying to address the problem.
“That means if we're looking at transportation or housing or employment or health care or wealth and finances, the things that we are trying to put in place will be advantageous or beneficial to all segments of the population who are experiencing poverty,” Porter said.
Ann Marie Cook, president and CEO of Lifespan, the Rochester-based organization that helps older adults, said the fact that poverty is identified as a big problem among older adults wasn't a surprise.
“We see it here in the calls that we get here at Lifespan, and certainly the work that our social workers do,” Cook said. “So I felt when AARP released this data, that the data supported what we felt in our gut, just a huge number of older adults and a huge number of older adults in need because of poverty.”
Cook also said that inflationary pressures in recent months has exacerbated the situation for many older adults.
“Even with the increase they received in Social Security, it's just inflation of everything, food, housing, their RG&E bills, everything," Cook said. "So it's just everything is more money, and they are struggling, there's no question about it.”
Cook said there are food banks and other services that can help older adults who are food-insecure, but she and Porter said that one challenge is making sure older adults are aware of services available to them and are willing to use them.
Porter said sometimes older people are hesitant to reach out for assistance, mentioning a 60-year-old friend of hers who was having financial problems recently.
“She had worked and she had retired, and she just felt like every day was a struggle to make ends meet,” Porter said.
She told her friend that she’s probably eligible for SNAP benefits, but was told, "No, no, I’m not going to do that, because that would be too embarrassing."
But Porter told her: “These are benefits that you are eligible for to make your life easier, you need to apply, it’s not embarrassing.”
Beth Finkel, AARP New York state director, said the organization "is working with state and local governments and community-based nonprofit organizations to forge deeper collaborations to meet the needs of our aging relatives, friends and neighbors.”
