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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Chryste Hall, AARP, (617) 852-3710,
Kathy Mimberg, NCLR, (202) 776-1714
Forum to address seniors’ concerns as part of the ¡Tu Futuro Cuenta! campaign
Boston—Hundreds of Boston-area Latino seniors will make their voices heard during a bilingual community town hall on Social Security and Medicare. As the congressional super committee readies its proposal to reduce the federal deficit, concern grows over potential cuts to the financial safety net for America’s seniors and disabled.
The bilingual town hall will be held on Thursday, November 3 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, located at 1350 Tremont Street in Boston. The forum is hosted by AARP, Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD), La Alianza Hispana, LULAC Massachusetts, Latinos for a Secure Retirement (LSR), NCLR (National Council of La Raza), ¿Oiste?, and the City of Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature government representatives and speakers from the organizing groups. Lunch will be served. Since space is limited, registration is requested; please call (617) 348-6565 or email Nov3townhall@gmail.com.
Social Security and Medicare are widely recognized as successful, efficient public programs that serve as a powerful safety net for Americans. However, these landmark programs have come under attack under the guise of deficit reduction. Social Security has not contributed one dime to the federal deficit and will remain financially solvent without any changes until 2036; cuts to Medicare alone will not address the skyrocketing costs seen throughout the health care system.
Latino seniors are particularly vulnerable to the most recent proposed cuts and changes to Social Security. Although the program keeps millions of seniors out of poverty, the average yearly Social Security benefit for Hispanic seniors is only $12,213 for men and only $9,536 for women. These benefits represent at least 90% of the income for more than half of Latino seniors; cuts to the program could be disastrous.
In Massachusetts, Social Security contributes more than $15 billion annually to the local economy by paying benefits to 1,140,830 residents, including 805,400 seniors, 187,300 disabled workers, and 91,700 children. Without Social Security income, nearly 300,000 Bay State residents would fall into poverty. The Boston town hall is the sixth in a series being held across the country as part of the “Latinos and Social Security ¡Tu Futuro Cuenta!” campaign. In addition to experts on this issue, Latino seniors at the event will be available for interviews.
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Bilingual town hall on Social Security and Medicare
WHO: Boston-area Latino seniors
Kara Cohen, Community Service Director, AARP Massachusetts
Jeff Cruz, Executive Director, Latinos for a Secure Retirement (LSR)
Daphne Griffin, Chief of Human Services, City of Boston
Leticia Miranda, Associate Director, Economic and Employment Policy Project, NCLR
Hector Sanchez, Executive Director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
WHEN: Thursday, November 3, 2011
10:00 a.m.–Noon
WHERE: Reggie Lewis Athletic Center
1350 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02120
For more information about AARP Massachusetts, visit www.aarp.org/ma.
For more information about Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD), visit www.bostonabcd.org.
For more information about La Alianza Hispana, visit www.laalianza.org.
For more information about Latinos for a Secure Retirement, visit www.latinosforasecureretirement.org.
For more information about LULAC Massachusetts, visit www.lulac.org.
For more information about NCLR, visit www.nclr.org or www.nclr.org/socialsecurity.
For more information about ¿Oiste?, visit www.oiste.net.
For more information about the City of Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly, visit www.cityofboston.gov/elderly.
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