Category Archives: Finance

Council Members and Advocates Call for Human Service Restorations

March 20, 2013 4:57 pm Leave a Comment

Council Member Annabel Palma, Chair of the City Council’s General Welfare Committee, along with her colleagues in the City Council, advocates, and clients, rallied on the steps of City Hall today to demand restoration of millions of dollars for social services programs slashed in Mayor Bloomberg’s $70 billion proposed budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014.

“This past year, the City Council won major victories in the ongoing debate with the Mayor over social services, restoring nearly $60 million to stabilize the child care system and thwarting the implementation of a policy that would have denied shelter to thousands of homeless men and women,” said Council Member Palma, whose General Welfare Committee provides oversight of the Administration for Children’s Services, the Human Resources Administration, and the Department for the Homeless.  “Yet again, it is up to the Council to take a stand for the City’s most vulnerable population.”

“Although the local and national economy are on the rebound, thousands of New Yorkers continue to rely on publicly-funded child care, housing programs, and food pantries to help provide job security and as bridges up and out of poverty.  We hope the Mayor will continue to see the value of human services in our communities and the role they play in growing a strong economy,” said Michael Stoller, Executive Director of the Human Services Council.

Administration for Children’s Services (ACS)

In October 2012, ACS rolled out an ambitious publicly funded early childhood education system known EarlyLearn NYC.   Last year, under the Mayor’s FY13 budget proposal, thousands of families stood to lose child care services because of the shift to this new system.  Ultimately, the Council, aided by the efforts of various organizations, providers, and families, dampened the shock to the system by negotiating an increase to the baseline funding for EarlyLearn NYC and by restoring over $58 million for discretionary seats and vouchers.

With the Council’s restorations, providers throughout the five boroughs, including the Jewish Child Care Association, could continue to serve nearly 4,500 children and low-income families could continue to access nearly 4,500 vouchers for child care.

In his proposed budget, the Mayor failed to baseline the $58 million for discretionary seats and vouchers, again jeopardizing the stability of the child care system.  These cuts, combined with the dramatic cuts to Out-of-School-Time, a program run by the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development, would have a devastating impact on many working families.

“As someone who began her career in education, I am deeply concerned with the proposed cuts to child care and after school systems,” Council Member Julissa Ferreras said. “For years, I served as the Beacon director for P.S. 19, and I can attest to how essential these programs are to the thousands of children and parents who rely on them on a daily basis. Not only does the budget fail to maintain the one year of funding restored by the City Council in 2012, it proposes additional cuts to both child care and after school systems. The education of our children is too important to allow this to happen.”

“Citizens’ Committee for Children is deeply dismayed that the Mayor’s final Preliminary Budget includes $217.9 million in cuts to services to children and families—which is on top of 11 previous rounds of budget cuts,“ said Stephanie Gendell, Associate Executive Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Citizens’ Committee for Children.  “We are especially troubled that the budget fails to restore any of the over $120 million the City Council restored last year so over 47,000 children would not lose child care or after-school.“

“Affordable, culturally-sensitive, high-quality childcare is a long-term, high return investment,“ said Sandy Katz, Director of Early Childhood Programs for the Jewish Child Care Association.  “If the City slashes JCCA’s funding, 1000 children will be at risk of losing the safe, enriching, educational childcare they need to succeed, some of the parents may be forced to quit their jobs to take care of their children, and 140 providers may also lose their livelihoods.“

Department of Homeless Services (DHS)

The city homeless shelter population is at a record high.  This January, more than 50,000 people slept each night in city shelters, an increase of 19% from last year.  The Mayor’s proposed budget adds $69.5 million for increased capacity for a total DHS budget of $955 million.

During his term in office, the Mayor has proposed a number of measures to divert people from shelters in an effort to achieve cost savings.  In 2011, the Mayor unveiled a policy that would have allowed the City to deny emergency shelter to thousands of homeless men and women each year by imposing new bureaucratic burdens on homeless adults seeking shelter.  The Council won a major legal victory last month when a state appeals court ruled that the City did not properly adopt this policy.  Consequently, the policy has not gone into effect.

In his proposed budget, the Mayor offers another diversionary measure for single adults.  Under this proposal, single adults who do not utilize their assigned shelter for more than 30 days would need restart the intake process, at which point DHS staff would seek to divert them to other housing.  DHS expects to save $4 million in the next fiscal year through a reduction in care days.

“The increase in homeless services expenditures under Mayor Bloomberg has been exponential, rising 77% during his tenure,“ said Patrick Markee, Senior Policy Analyst at Coalition for the Homeless.  “But it is simply wrongheaded to attempt to save money by making it harder for homeless adults, many of them living with mental illness, to secure shelter.  However, the City could save money and reduce the homeless population in the right way by adopting the City Council’s proposals to provide permanent housing assistance to the record number of homeless children and adults.“

Human Resources Administration (HRA)

Annual funding for food assistance programs plateaued at around $13 million years ago in the pre-recession days.  Yet poverty and food costs continue to increase in the city.  Inexplicably, the Mayor proposes decreasing the budget for food assistance programs.

“There is no good justification for reduced food assistance funding when so many people in New York City are still struggling to make ends meet,“ Council Member Stephen Levin said.  “I will continue to work with Council Member Palma and the rest of the City Council to restore support for New Yorkers in need.“

The Mayor has also failed to baseline over $5 million in funding to the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) for supportive housing contracts and case management, thereby placing 4,500 people with HIV/AIDS at risk of losing the specialized care they need to overcome a history of homelessness, substance use, or mental health issues.

“It is necessary that social workers and case managers support clients where they live, and not just at HRA’s HASA headquarters,“ said Council Member Gale Brewer.

“Supportive housing saves lives,“ added Ted Houghton, Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Network of New York.  “These proposed budget cuts to essential case management in nonprofit-run HASA-supportive housing are the definition of penny-wise and pound foolish – thousands of very fragile tenants living with HIV/AIDS will be at high risk of becoming homeless again, making them sicker and more dependent on the costliest systems for basic shelter and healthcare. If these cuts go through, more than 200 case managers who do heroic work helping the most vulnerable among us will lose their jobs. We strongly oppose these short-sighted cuts proposed by the Mayor and urge the Council to once again fully fund these vital positions.“

Finally, the Mayor plans to continue to pay 50% of broker fees for all benefit recipients, including HASA clients, after years of paying 100% of the fee.  HRA estimates that this policy has saved over $26 million since implementation two years ago.

“All anyone has to do is talk to clients to find out that this policy has a negative effect on people seeking affordable housing, particularly when there is a question as to the scrupulousness of various brokers,“ said Council Member Brewer.

Filed Under: Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

NYC Stops Payment into Nonprofits’ Pension System

March 20, 2013 11:24 am Leave a Comment

New York City is withholding payment into a pension system that covers some employees at many of the city’s day care centers as well as some of its best known cultural institutions, including the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, reports The New York Times.

City budget officials said the suspension came after a review indicated that the number of workers covered by the pension system was possibly inflated.

Mark Page, the city’s budget director, disclosed the suspension of payment into the pension plan, Cultural Institutions Retirement System, or CIRS, at a meeting last week of the City Council’s Finance Committee.

Mr. Page said the city has questions about whether its share of the pension costs, projected to be about $17 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, was overstated because of irregularities in pension calculations. Under an arrangement that dates from 1962 the city pays into a pension system that covers some workers in dozens of day care centers with city contracts as well as dozens of cultural institutions.

“There is a bunch of money that we have paid for over the years that has been, I guess, nice for those enterprises but not very nice for our taxpayers and what we have actually gotten for our money,” Mr. Page said at the committee hearing.

At the cultural institutions the employees typically covered are a fraction of the staff and generally occupy unionized positions, like security guards or gardeners. Their salaries are also provided by the city, although they are not city employees.

“The city has not paid the CIRS bill this fiscal year, and the city is currently conducting a review of payments made to CIRS on behalf of these nonprofits to ensure that proper and accurate bookkeeping records were maintained,” said Lauren Passalacqua, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.

She said the city had “detected potential anomalies in the data provided by these nonprofits related to the payments the city was making for them to CIRS.” When the review by the Office of Management and Budget is completed, she said, she expects that whatever money the city owed the institutions would be paid into the retirement system.

Raglan George Jr., executive director of the union that represents the day care workers and a trustee of the pension system, said there had been no inflation of numbers. He said the dispute concerns a failure by the city to account for the pension payments of about 1,200 workers who were let go last year because the city had introduced a new early-childhood education program.

“When they made that decision they never considered the impact on the pensions,” he said of the city officials.

Mr. George said that the pension system is otherwise well financed, and that the delay in the city’s payment would not affect those currently drawing pensions.

Richard Koski, the executive director of the retirement system, said in an interview that he could not discuss the issue and does not have full details of the city’s concerns.

“We’ve been around for 50 years, and I think we do a really good job for the folks who work there,” Mr. Koski said. He said the system covers 20,000 people, both active and retired, and about 50 cultural institutions.

The cultural institutions listed as members on the pension system’s Web site range from well-known attractions like Wave Hill, El Museo del Barrio and the Museum of the Moving Image to smaller organizations like the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and the Center for Book Arts. About one third of the city’s payment to the pension system covers the cultural employees, and the rest covers the day care employees.

Officials at several of the institutions declined to comment, some saying that they did not have enough information yet.

The retirement system operates as a partnership among the city, the cultural institutions and the Day Care Council of New York, a membership organization of child care and family service providers and advocates. The city’s decision to suspend payment in the system was first reported in The New York Post.

In a letter this year to the commissioners for the city’s Cultural Affairs Department and the Administration for Children’s Services, Mr. Page said the city’s review had shown that the cultural and day care employees were working under a collective bargaining agreement that called for “benefits greater than those afforded to city employees.”

The letter said that when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30 the city would finance those pensions only at the same level as city employees, and that the city would no longer subsidize benefits like matching the 401(k) contributions of employees.

 

Filed Under: Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News

City’s Sheltering of Out-of-Town Homeless, Mayor’s Response Spark Debate

March 20, 2013 11:10 am Leave a Comment

In response to New York State’s guarantee to shelter the homeless, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, “you can arrive in your private jet at Kennedy Airport, take a private limousine and go straight to the shelter system, and walk in the door and we’ve got to give you shelter;” reported The New York Times.

Advocates for the homeless have called the mayor insensitive, but while Mr. Bloomberg’s wording might have been inelegant, the substance of his comment does not appear to be far from the mark: More people who gave their last address as outside New York are entering the city’s shelter system.

“New Yorkers who don’t have a place to go, we accept that,” Seth Diamond, the commissioner of homeless services, said.

“But New York is becoming a safety net for the country, which is really not the position we want to be in.”

Under a number of court decisions, the city has been required under the State Constitution to provide shelter. The city’s allure for out-of-towners who hope to find work, and its historically lower thresholds for providing public assistance, have tended to attract an uneven number of applicants for emergency housing.

The share of single adults who applied for shelter and listed their last address outside the city rose to 23 percent in December from 19.9 percent in February 2012, the Department of Homeless Services said. The percentage of out-of-towners among homeless families has also been climbing, to about 10 percent last month from 8.4 percent of households in 2009.

That could mean as many as 9,000 out-of-towners in the system over the course of a year. But advocates for the homeless maintain that that estimate is overstated, unverified and distorting.

“It could be someone from the Bronx, who lived their whole life in the Bronx, got evicted, spends some time on the street, applies for shelter and gives their mother’s address and their mother lives in New Jersey,” said Patrick Markee, senior policy analyst for the Coalition for the Homeless.

“The vast majority of the people in the system are New Yorkers,” Mr. Markee added. “There’s always been a small percentage of homeless who came from someplace else.”

With the shelter population setting records — last week, the system housed nearly 50,000 people, including 10,000 single adults and 20,000 children — the mayor has been seeking to defend his administration’s response to the challenges presented by the homeless. He has said that the state’s decision to cancel a rent subsidy program has resulted in fewer people leaving the system.

More recently, he has been reminding New Yorkers that the state imposes few limits on applicants for shelter, particularly on single adults.

Mr. Bloomberg made a point of explaining that among those seeking shelter are people whose last address was out of town.

The department identified the top sources for single adults who listed out-of-town former addresses as New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, California, Puerto Rico, Texas, Connecticut and South Carolina. Among families with children, the top sources also include Massachusetts and Maryland.

Samantha Levine, a mayoral spokeswoman, said that those arriving at intake are asked for their previous residence, “so there are not folks who had been, say, born in Boston and been living in New York City for 10 years.”

Families applying for shelter are asked whether they have some alternative housing, with relatives, for example, and the city tries to steer them to it. Last month, a state appeals court ruled that the city had illegally enacted a requirement that single adults had to prove they had no alternative housing before being allowed into shelters.

Since 2007, thousands of people who gave an out-of-town last address were persuaded to return to their hometowns or another destination and the city paid their way by plane, bus or train.

The city’s Project Reconnect has encouraged 2,443 single adults to return to their hometowns, the city said. The average transportation cost was $269, considerably less than the cost to the city of providing them with shelter, which is about $76.24 a day for single adults and $103 a day for families with children.

In the same period, 2,024 families (with an average of three members each) from out of town have left the city for other destinations, at an average cost of $192 per person.

Officials said the out-of-towners are encouraged, not required, to return to where they came from; their access to housing at the destination is verified before they are sent there. The top five places they leave for are Puerto Rico, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Marc La Vorgna, the mayor’s chief spokesman, said Mr. Bloomberg’s remark about a private jet was “illustrating the strict nature of the current law that says we have to provide shelter for anyone, no matter what.”

“Twenty percent of the residents in homeless shelters are from outside of the city,” Mr. La Vorgna said, adding, “His point is we provided shelter to all, and we are the only place in the nation that does.”

Filed Under: Finance, Homelessness, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , ,

Self-Advocates & Families Speak Out Against Medicaid Cuts

February 25, 2013 12:19 pm Leave a Comment

Individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are expressing serious concerns about Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal last week for an across-the-board 6% cut in funding for nonprofit providers of developmental disabilities services.   The cut – a $120 million reduction in Federal Medicaid funding which will translate into an approximately $240 million in total cuts to services – are part of an overall package of savings designed to fill a $500 million State budget hole resulting from a Federal reduction in reimbursement for New York State’s DD Centers.   The Federal Government is accusing the State of submitting claims for these services which were excessive by as much as $1 billion annually.

“The board of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State, (SANYS), believes it is a mistake for New York State to cut 240 million dollars from agencies that provide supports for people with developmental disabilities,” said Stephen Holmes, Administrative Director for SANYS.  “In our statements of the last few years, we have said that in resolving the funding problems with CMS, New York must ensure that OPWDD keep all of the funds it currently has in support of people and transform how it spends that money over time into a truly people first system.  And we need all those dollars as we move to managed care and at the same time try to meet the needs of the thousands of people and their families who are waiting for supports to live and work and do the things that are meaningful to them in their communities.”

Margaret Pudington, a parent and founder of the Coalition of Families for Direct Support Staff in Services for People with Developmental Disabilities, spoke in powerfully personal terms about what the proposed cuts could mean for her son and herself, as well as for other families of individuals with developmental disabilities.

“The announcement of the magnitude of the proposed cut to OPWDD frightened me so deeply that I literally had nightmares all night about my son with developmental disabilities being lost on the street,” said Margaret Pudington “Those nightmares are about to become  reality if this 6% cut to OPWDD is enacted.  Because of previous sizable cuts, providers have already taken every conceivable efficiency.  There is nothing left to cut but staff.  And that is why I am so afraid.  This cut will punish those least able to care for themselves, those who rely on staff for their very safety as well as for the quality of their lives.”

The proposed package cuts and savings was announced last week as part of Governor Cuomo’s 30-Day Amendments to his Executive Budget proposal for FY2013-14 which begins on April 1.

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The Good News & The Bad in Governor’s Budget

January 25, 2013 2:28 pm Leave a Comment

Nonprofit providers and advocates are continuing to examine Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget Proposal for FY2013-14 to determine the potential impacts on human services programs.   Here are some more comments on what the sector likes and doesn’t like.

Early Childhood

The Governor’s inclusion of a $25 million increase for full day Pre-K, on the other hand, drew widespread praise from advocates, including the Ready for Kindergarten, Ready for College Campaign, a coalition of early childhood, education and community organizations. The new full day Pre-K funding would be the first state sponsored full-day pre-kindergarten program in the New York.

“Governor Cuomo’s plan to create the first state-funded, full-day pre-kindergarten initiative is a welcome and important step,” said Billy Easton, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education. “Full-day pre-kindergarten increases student success in school, raises graduation rates, and increases lifetime earnings of students. This initiative builds on the long term leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver on providing pre-kindergarten to four year olds.”

“Investing in full day Pre-K provides a major return on investment, both boosting our kids’ success and providing savings in the long term,” said Karen Scharff, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. “This investment is a great step toward providing our kids with the path to success and making our communities strong.”

“Governor Cuomo has made it clear that our youngest learners should be a key priority for New York State,” said Nancy Kolben, Executive Director, Center for Children’s Initiatives. “We know that investing in full day Pre-K drastically increases our children’s chances at success in the future, making this a very wise initiative.”

“There is strong and significant research that shows that high quality early care and learning improves educational outcomes, reduces disparities and saves money,” said Kate Breslin of the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and WinningBeginning NY. “The Governor’s plan to expand full-day Pre-K is a strong first step to reaching at-risk children early for lasting impact. We are eager to work with policymakers to ensure that the State makes sound investments in high quality early education.”

“Governor Cuomo has embraced the critical role early education plays in our children’s educational foundation, acknowledging that success in school is determined largely by the experiences children have before they start Kindergarten,” said Dana E. Friedman, Ed.D., Founder and President, The Early Years Institute. “With investment in full day Pre-K, especially in high needs districts, we’ll be able to ensure that our most vulnerable children will have more opportunities, putting them on a stronger path to school readiness.”

“The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) applauds Governor Cuomo for including vital early childhood education funding increases for low-income children and their working parents in the Executive Budge,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, Executive Director & CEO.  “The $25 million to support full-day pre-kindergarten programs for high-need students in low-income communities will ensure that these children will enter school more ready to learn.”

Behavioral Health

At first blush, providers and advocates seemed relieved … and perhaps pleasantly surprised by what they saw in the Governor’s proposals for mental health services.

“There were no cuts to the community safety net and perhaps the promise of some increased savings through reinvestment savings from anticipated hospital downsizing,” noted Harvey Rosenthal, Executive Director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS).    Rosenthal also noted that there appeared to be positives in enhancements to Health Homes and additional community housing.

“We like very much the emphasis on community housing,” said Phillip Saperia, Executive Director of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies.  While waiting for additional detail, he also praised the proposed restructuring of the State’s psychiatric centers.  “This system has needed close scrutiny and some fixing for a long time,” he said.  “The fact that they are going to look at it is good… and the fact that they are going to reinvest savings into community services is really good.”

On the other hand, Andrea Smyth, Executive Director of the NYS Coalition for Children’s Mental Health Services argues that the failure to offer COLAs and rate increases to keep pace with inflation has a detrimental impact on services.  She notes that a recent review of children’s outpatient mental health clinics showed 20 of 22 clinics losing significant amounts of money.  “Despite widespread public awareness that the children’s behavioral health care system’s capacity is not robust enough to meet the needs of all the kids with unmet mental health needs, the Governor fails to make investments that are on parity with the recommendations in the general health care field,” she says.

Substance Abuse Services

While still waiting for additional budget details, John Coppola, Executive Director of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers of NYS, expressed concern over whether sufficient resources were being provided to meet the growing demand for services.  He pointed to reports of increased heroin usage and forecasts of even greater growth in response to legislative action to clamp down on physicians in an effort to curb prescriptions drug abuse.   He also noted that cuts in federal funding had substantially reduced funding at the State level for prevention programming.

“It is disappointing that there hasn’t been a stronger policy initiative focused on misuse of drugs and that the budget doesn’t reflect any new initiatives in this area,” he said.

At the same time, Coppola expressed some hope that improved integration of substance abuse services with other healthcare providers might leverage savings in the Department of Health budget that could be used to fund treatment.

Health & HIV/AIDS

“FPWA is very pleased to know that the Governor has committed $15 million to develop the Health Homes infrastructure. We hope some of this funding will be allocated to community-based organizations to develop capacity for health information technology,” stated Esther Lok, Assistant Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research and Senior Policy Analyst for HIV/AIDS.  “FPWA is, however, concerned about the funding reduction made to the AIDS Institute and the lack of clarity on the level of appropriation to HIV/AIDS programs.  New York State has made tremendous progress toward achieving the national goal of zero HIV infections.  Resources for prevention, care and support services should be kept intact.”

Filed Under: Child Care, Finance, Health, HIV/AIDS, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Un-Cola

January 24, 2013 3:40 pm Leave a Comment

Considerably less popular was the Governor’s proposal to once again defer Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for human service providers. This is the fifth year in a row that human service provider agencies and their staff are being asked to defy a seemingly immutable law of economics, i.e. pretty much everything – rent, gasoline, health insurance, etc. — costs more to purchase and provide every single year.  And, therefore, a flat budget allocation with no COLA to cover these rising costs is actually a budget cut.

Reactions from the Field

While many providers and advocates were continuing to seek out details in budget documents or upcoming agency briefings, several nonprofit leaders did have things to say about the Governor’s Budget one day later.

“While HSC is thankful that the budget does not appear to contain severe cuts to human service programs, we are disheartened to see the repeated deferment of Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for human service providers,” said Shana Mosher, Policy Analyst at the Human Services Council. “The 1.4 percent deferment will save the State millions, while impacting the service providers who work tirelessly year in and year out responding to community needs”.

“Despite the positive elements in the proposed State budget, the Governor’s decision to again withhold Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for nonprofit providers will continue to negatively impact our ability to serve our communities,” said Nancy Wackstein, Executive Director of the United Neighborhood Houses of New York.

“We are strongly opposed to the Governor’s proposal to further defer the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) that would go a long way to help workers at not-for-profit organizations make ends meet given the rising cost of living these past years,” stated Bich Ha Pham, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Research at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.  “These workers have had to take on additional workloads because of the increased demand for services and layoffs of co-workers due to multiple years of city and state budget cuts.  The Governor’s budget states that COLAs should be linked to actual cost growth or performance outcomes.  The state clearly can link COLAs to the Consumer Price Index which increased 3.2% from 2010 to 2011 and 2.1% from 2011 to 2012.  Furthermore, COLAs should be focused on just that – cost of living increases.  Performance outcomes are already dealt with through the state’s contracting or RFP process.  The COLA is needed to support the workers and their families, many of whom are low-wage or middle class workers doing essential work.”

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Left Flat: Innovative Programs but No COLAs

January 24, 2013 3:33 pm Leave a Comment

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo rolled out his proposed FY2013-14 Executive Budget on Tuesday, expressing obvious pride and satisfaction that he would once again be able to close a $1.3 billion budget gap with no new taxes.  The $136.5 billion budget – the Governor’s third – is built on a base of fiscal and programmatic reform during the two prior years, he emphasized.

“By making difficult decisions over the past two years we have brought stability, predictability, and common sense to the state’s budget process,” Governor Cuomo said. “Two consecutive fiscally responsible budgets have drastically reduced the deficit we face in this fiscal year and those we will face in years to come. As a result, we are able to make critical investments to build a world-class education system, support job creating projects in all corners of the state, provide assistance to local governments, and rebuild communities that were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy.”

As previewed in the Governor’s State of the State Address a week earlier, the budget features a number of programmatic initiatives strongly favored by the nonprofit human services community.  These include:

A $25 million proposal to support Full-Day Pre-kindergarten in lower wealth school districts;

A $20 million Extended Learning Time proposal to provide increased learning opportunities through high-quality extended school day or extended school year programs;

A Community Schools proposal to support the integration of social, health and other services, as well as after-school programming to support students and their families.

A Minimum Wage increase from $7.25 to $8.75 an hour;

A $1 billion House NY proposal to finance the creation and preservation of more than 14,300 affordable housing units over five years;

Creation of a $100 million “Pay for Success” social impact bond program to undertake cost effective human services programs over the next five years;

Expansion of the “Close to Home” Juvenile Justice Reform initiative to additional counties outside New York City;

Continued “Right-Sizing” of prison capacity through the closure of two prisons – Bayview in Manhattan and Beacon in Dutchess County, to save $18.7 million in 2013-14 and $62.1 million in 2014-15;

The regionalization and restructuring of state psychiatric centers by creating “regional centers of excellence” to diagnosis and treat individuals with complex behavioral health issues, with expected savings to be reinvested in community-based services.

The development of 1,000 supported housing units for residents of nursing homes (including 400 by the end of 2014), 4,000 supported housing beds for individuals in adult homes (including1,400 by the end of 2014), and 3,400 beds for the homeless housing program in New York City (including 634 by the end of 2014).

Filed Under: Child Care, Children, Finance, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News, Youths Tagged With: ,

Staten Island Non-Profit Recovery Fund

November 30, 2012 4:09 pm Leave a Comment

The Staten Island Foundation has announced a $500,000 matching grant to build long-term recovery support for Staten Islanders who have been hardest hit by the effects of Superstorm Sandy.

“Local service organizations have been on the front lines responding to those devastated by the storm, despite the fact that many of these same organizations and their staff members are also storm victims” explained Betsy Dubovsky, The Staten Island Foundation’s (TSIF), Executive Director.

In response, The Staten Island Foundation has created The Staten Island Non-Profit Recovery Fund (SINP Recovery Fund). The Staten Island Foundation will match the first $500,000 donated from other philanthropic sources to this fund.   The SINP Recovery Fund will make grants to Island nonprofit organizations in order to help them meet the long-term challenges created by this disaster.  The fund will also provide grants to aid in preparedness planning for future emergencies; provide funding for unreimbursed repairs to nonprofit facilities and grounds; support organizations whose fundraising efforts have been undermined; and aid collaborative efforts to help Staten Islanders in need.

“The one silver lining that might have been gained from Hurricane Katrina is that we have a fair idea of what sorts of demands will be placed upon our already-stretched-thin resources” continued Dubovsky.  “However, we are also learning the best solutions to these problems including examples of how philanthropic organizations can work in concert with each other and with government and the community to ease the effects of the storm’s aftermath.  The outpouring of support from around the country, and the world, has been phenomenal. Now comes the task of matching these resources to those most in need and doing it efficiently and fairly.”

“As an organization that serves as a common voice and resource for 150 of Staten Island’s not-for-profit organizations, the SINFPA is keenly aware of the role that not-for-profits in our Borough have played during the initial storm recovery efforts,” said Vincent Lenza, Executive Director of the Staten Island Not-for-Profit Association.”We are pleased that the Staten Island Foundation has continued their role as a leader in our community.  In organizing the Staten Island Non-profit Recovery Fund, along with Philanthropy New York, TSIF has recognized the importance of ensuring that our local organizations are supported in their vital work and that essential programs that sustain the health and well being of Staten Islanders can continue without interruption.”

Philanthropy New York, a membership organization of more than 285 grantmaking foundations and corporations based in New York City, will provide administrative and fiscal services to the Fund and will be guided by a Staten Island community advisory committee.  Individual contributions to the fund are also welcomed and can be sent to Philanthropy New York, 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003-3076.

Filed Under: Finance, Homelessness, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Nonprofit Help Center, Small Business, Top News Tagged With: , , ,

Brooklyn Recovery Fund Announces RFPs

November 14, 2012 8:22 pm Leave a Comment

The Brooklyn Community Foundation, the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has announced the release of two Requests for Proposals from Brooklyn nonprofit organizations working with the communities and individuals most affected by Hurricane Sandy for funding through the recently established Brooklyn Recovery Fund.

The first RFP is for Community Collaborations, which will provide three initial grants of $100,000 to consortia of nonprofits working to improve community-wide coordination efforts, in Red Hook (CB 6); Coney Island/Brighton Beach/Sea Gate (CB 13), and Sheepshead Bay/Gerritsen Beach/Canarsie/Manhattan Beach (CBs 15 and 18).

The second RFP is for Emergency Funding, to provide up to $10,000 to Brooklyn-serving nonprofits grappling with Sandy’s after effects.

Applications for both RFPs are due Friday, November 16th and are posted at http://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/apply-funding.  Additional RFPs will be announced in the coming weeks to address emerging recovery and rebuilding needs.

“While Sandy was devastating, her wake has brought out the best in so many of us. Countless Brooklynites are initiating local fundraising efforts, and it is particularly gratifying to see that many of them have designated the Brooklyn Recovery Fund as the beneficiary,” says Marilyn Gelber, president of the Brooklyn Community Foundation, which is administering the Fund.  “Grants from the Brooklyn Recovery Fund will respond to large-scale community-wide coordination work as well as more narrowly focused rebuilding and service provision efforts. This two-pronged approach allows the Fund to address immediate emergency needs while laying the groundwork for broad based, long-term community rebuilding.”

The Brooklyn Recovery Fund has raised more than $1 million thus far, with support from a broad spectrum of local donors—including founding contributions from Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, and Forest City Ratner—as well as hundreds of individual donations via online and mobile giving. Notable funding support also includes a share of the proceeds from Jerry Seinfeld’s three New York area performances; Junior’s restaurants, which will donate $5 from the sale of pumpkin cheesecakes at their three New York locations through November; and Stand Up NY, which is launching the “Stand Up to Sandy” initiative this Sunday at a comedy benefit with Sherri Shepherd and Caroline Rhea. Upcoming fundraisers through December are listed at http://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/fund-supporters.

The Brooklyn Recovery Fund grantmaking is informed by a Community Advisory Committee comprised of nonprofit, civic, and government leaders, which held its initial meeting on Tuesday, November 6th at Brooklyn Borough Hall. A list of committee members, in formation, is available at http://www.brooklyncommunityfoundation.org/brooklyn-recovery-fund-community-advisory-committee.

For more information on the Brooklyn Recovery Fund and ways to help, visit http://www.BrooklynRecoveryFund.org or email development@bcfny.org.

Filed Under: Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Nonprofit Help Center, Top News Tagged With: , , , ,

NY Women’s Foundation Creates $1 Million Response & Recovery Fund

November 14, 2012 8:14 pm Leave a Comment

In response to Hurricane Sandy’s devastating effects on New York City, The New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) is creating a special $1 million Response and Recovery Fund which will be distributed to current and former grantee partners over the next four years, as needed. Driven by their 25 year commitment to supporting the economic security of women and girls, serving the needs of the most vulnerable communities and remaining responsive to the changing landscape of New York City, NYWF will leverage their network of over 280 grantee partners to support and provide help where it is most needed. The New York Women’s Foundation Hurricane Sandy Response and Recovery Fund will provide both immediate and long term financial support to current and former grantee partners so they can restore, enhance and sustain their capacity to work with women and families towards stability and safety in those communities hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy, in New York City.

NYWF plans to immediately distribute $250,000 to provide assistance in some of the hardest hit areas, including Broad Channel, Classon Point, City Island, Coney Island, Far Rockaway, the Lower East Side, Red Hook and Staten Island. Beginning in 2013, The Foundation will assess continuing needs and designate $250,000 annually, through 2015, to address the longer term economic security, safety and health needs that may continue to be heightened for these families due to the lingering and extended effects of Hurricane Sandy’s disruption. Many of the women and families NYWF grantee partners serve were already economically insecure and living in unsafe environments, and are now facing additional and often overwhelming economic and emotional barriers as the result of Hurricane Sandy.

“In the immediate aftermath of the storm, we reached out to our grantee partners, assessing their needs and directing them to additional resources where possible,” said President & CEO of The New York Women’s Foundation, Ana Oliveira. “We learned both of their immediate need for supplies, transportation, power and critical safety measures, as well as major concerns regarding the long term effects of the storm: such as loss of income, housing, and mental and emotional support for so many women and their families in devastated communities. This is why The NYWF has created a $1 million Response and Recovery Fund to provide both the economic and emotional support to women and their families in New York City.”

The New York Women’s Foundation is a cross-cultural alliance of women, serving as a voice for women and a force for change. The Foundation identifies innovative organizations that are effecting change in the communities they serve for women and girls. NYWF strategically funds organizations and programs that move women, girls and families toward long-term economic security through individual transformation and systemic change, mobilizing leaders and community partners as philanthropists and change agents.

To donate to The New York Women’s Foundation Hurricane Sandy Response and Recovery Fund, please visit https://join-us.nywf.org/hurricanesandyrelieffund. For further information about The New York Women’s Foundation, please visit www.nywf.org.

Filed Under: Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Nonprofit Help Center, Small Business, Top News Tagged With: , , ,
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