A startling report released Monday by the Center for an Urban Future shows a stark rise in seniors living in poverty.

A broad coalition of advocates and state lawmakers joined forces Monday at the state Capitol in Albany. Together, they’re calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to invest more than $123 million to support older New Yorkers.

“The New York State Office for Aging’s budget is less than one-tenth of the overall state budget, even though seniors pay over 43% of the taxes in the state of New York,” Association on Aging in New York Executive Director Rebecca Preve said.

The group says the older adult population is growing fast while state policy struggles to keep pace. It’s leaving gaps in medical care, affordable housing and food.

“These are the people who gave us service, who were our teachers, who ran our cities, who raised our families,” said Cordell Cleare, a Democrat and state senator from Manhattan.

The rally came on the heels on the release of the report, which shows that in 2022, more than 423,000 New Yorkers ages 65 or older were living in poverty, a 50% increase over the decade prior.

“Another jarring statistic from the same report, almost 50% report having no retirement income in 2020,” said Rebecca Seawright, an assemblywoman from Manhattan.

The group applauded the governor’s proposal to invest $53 million in home- and community-based services, but said it can’t stop there.

“We are no longer going to be the smallest part of the budget,” said Cleare.

A spokesperson for Hochul said the governor is dedicated to working to ensure older New Yorkers have the resources and support they need. They highlighted the home and community-based services investment, proposed tax cuts and $500 inflation relief checks for eligible families.