The human services organization I chose for the final project is the
New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA). What would
become the DFTA began in as the NYC Mayor’s Office for the Aging
which was formed due to the concerns of policymakers that the city’s
elderly population lacked community social services. As such, from
the late 1960s to the early 1970s the Office conducted research on
the needs of the city’s older adult population which led to the
opening of four service sites, and coordinated efforts to meet the
needs of the population with other services such as hot meal
programs for underserved areas (New York City Department for the
Aging, 2022). Despite plans initially calling for it to only last three
years, the Office existed from 1968 until 1975 when it became the
DFTA with Alice Brophy, the head of the Office of the Aging since its
inception, serving as the first commissioner (New York City
Department for the Aging, 2022). The DFTA would go on to expand
various programs to the present day including but not limited to,
service centers, elder abuse, transportation, senior employment,
legal, and nutrition services. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez (2022), the
current commissioner of the department, has stated the
organization’s mission is to “eliminate ageism and ensure the dignity
and quality of life of diverse older adults. We also work to support
caregivers through service, advocacy, and education.”
One event in human services history that relates to my agency is the
passage of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965 which created a
nationwide network of social service programs for the aging. Similar
to the Office of the Aging, the Older Americans Act was created in
response to the lack of social services for elderly populations except
on a national level. The law established the Administration on Aging
(AoA) within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to
serve as the federal focal point on matters concerning older persons
as well as manage the grants given to states for community planning
and social services in the field of aging (Administration for
Community Living, 2022). This legislation would help lead to the NYC
Mayor’s Office for the Aging via the grants given to the New York
state government which funded the Office that would eventually
become the DFTA (New York City Department for the Aging, 2022).
The expansions made to social services for the elderly under the
DFTA in New York City reflect the national expansions occurring in
federal policy such as the implementation of nutrition programs, low-
income housing programs for the elderly, transportation services, and
protections from age discrimination in employment.
References
Administration for Community Living. (2022). Older Americans act.
ACL.gov. Retrieved from https://acl.gov/about-acl/authorizing-
statutes/older-americans-act
Cortés-Vázquez, L. (2022). Commissioner's message. NYC.gov.
Retrieved from
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dfta/about/commissioners-message.page
New York City Department for the Aging. (2022). History. NYC.gov.
Retrieved from https://www.nyc.gov/site/dfta/about/history.page
