Anita has lived in Chelsea for 63 years. At 71, she struggles with mobility issues, receives just $23.83 in monthly SNAP benefits, and grows her own tomatoes to help save money — often making impossible decisions between food, rent, and medicine. With more older adults in New York City than school-aged children, Anita is not alone.

These are the New Yorkers experiencing invisible hunger behind closed doors. And despite campaigning on making the city more affordable for all, Mayor Mamdani has been silent on affordability for older adults.

A true affordability agenda must account for the needs of one of our city’s fastest growing populations. They can’t be an afterthought. So the question remains: can we afford to grow old in the world’s wealthiest city?

Many older adults rely on fixed incomes, live alone, and are physically unable to shop or cook. Today, nearly one in five older New Yorkers live in poverty and that........

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