Senior Bill of Rights

City of Chicago establishes Mayor’s Office on Aging and Senior Bill of Rights

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order in October to establish a Senior Bill of Rights and the Mayor’s Office on Aging. About 20% of Chicago’s residents — some 542,000 — are age 60 or older. The order ensures fundamental rights to this specific group in their interactions with city government and city-funded programs.

“Anything that’s going to help the seniors is a good thing,” says longtime Chicago resident Mary H., who now lives in the Jefferson Park neighborhood and asked to keep her last name private. “I’m assuming there’s a lot of seniors who live alone, and they need support. But it’s hard to comment because I’m not sure what the city does already.”

The Senior Bill of Rights, which aims to strengthen older adults’ dignity and access to services, includes a right related to communication so more people can be aware of the city’s programs and services. Rights include:

1. To be treated with dignity, compassion, decency, and respect.
2. To live independently and age in place to the greatest extent practicable.
3. To live in safe, sanitary, accessible, and well-maintained housing.
4. To have their privacy and confidential information protected.
5. To receive meaningful language access and reasonable accommodations for disability, hearing, sight, and other communication needs.
6. To receive information regarding City programs and services in an accessible and understandable manner.
7. To organize, advocate, and raise concerns regarding their housing, neighborhoods, City services, and conditions affecting their health and well-being without retaliation.
8. To have meaningful avenues to report unsafe housing conditions, mistreatment, neglect, exploitation, or barriers to City services.
9. To receive coordinated assistance from City departments when conditions threaten their health, safety, housing stability, or ability to remain in their homes.

“Too often, our senior residents are overlooked, left behind, and left out of important conversations about the city they call home,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a press release.

The Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and 20th Ward Ald. Jeanette Taylor were instrumental in advocating for the Senior Bill of Rights. Maria Hadden (49th Ward), Angela Clay (46th Ward), and Jeylu Gutierrez (14th Ward) also sponsored the ordinance.

“I have heard from far too many residents that their needs are being ignored and that they do not know how to navigate City Hall,” Taylor said in a press release. “Creating a dedicated Office on Aging is an encouraging first step towards changing that and ensuring our seniors have a clear path to the services and relief they need.”

Taylor added that many elders in Chicago paved the way for the housing and human rights that people have today. “We stand on their shoulders as we push their work forward and ensure that their basic needs are met with legislation like the Senior Bill of Rights,” she said.

The newly formed Mayor’s Office on Aging will work with the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services to implement the Senior Bill of Rights; strategize ways to support aging in place; respond to elder abuse, neglect, and unsafe housing conditions; and coordinate federal, state, and philanthropic support for Chicago’s seniors.

In September, the city hosted a Senior Fest in Millennium Park, drawing thousands of residents. The fest, which set a tone for how the city aims to support older adults, included health screenings, art, dozens of resource tables, and more.

For more information or to be in touch with the Mayor’s Office on Aging, call the Senior Services Hotline at (312) 744-4016 or email Aging@CityofChicago.org. You can also find resources and upcoming events for seniors throughout the city at chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fss/provdrs/senior.html.