Monthly Archives: June 2012

OST & Child Care Cuts Hit Neediest Communities

June 21, 2012 1:21 pm Leave a Comment

New Out-of-School Time (OST) and EarlyLearn NYC contract award recommendations — which embody staggering cuts to both after school and early childhood programs — will not focus services on those New Yorkers who need them most as the Bloomberg administration has claimed, according to a new report issued by the Campaign for Children.  The report offers evidence showing that the Mayor’s cuts to child care and after-school programs will hit hardest in New York City’s most struggling communities, particularly those suffering from high rates of childhood obesity, rampant unemployment, low school achievement, and high rates of poverty.

The Campaign for Children report disputes the City’s claim that they have concentrated the cuts in “non-priority” or lower-need ZIP codes. In a case study on cuts to the Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school system, the report finds that the areas losing the most OST after-school programs are also

  • Neighborhoods with the highest rates of childhood obesity: Washington Heights (MNHTN), Bushwick (BK), and Williamsburg/Greenpoint (BK).
  • Neighborhoods with the lowest school achievement: Mott Haven (BX), Sunset Park (BK), Morissania (BX), Bushwick (BK), Highbridge (BX), Hunts Point (BX), East Tremont (BX), and Brownsville (BK).
  • Neighborhoods with the highest rates of poverty and unemployment: Mott Haven (BX), Morissania (BX), Brownsville (BK), University Heights (BX), and South Crown Heights (BK).

Click here to download a copy of the full report.

Advocates emphasized that while the Mayor has taken aim at curbing obesity rates through banning large sugary drinks, he is simultaneously cutting programs that offer children from low-income communities healthy meals and recreational activities.

“As we look at how the cuts to child care and after-school will affect New York City’s most vulnerable children, how can our City’s leaders disagree that these cuts are unconscionable?” said Stephanie Gendell of Citizens’ Committee for Children, an advocate from the Campaign for Children. “Where there are hard-working parents struggling to make ends meet, and children without any other safe place to go, we simply cannot take away these essential programs.”

Included in the report is a map showing the neighborhood-by-neighborhood breakdown of cuts to the Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school system. The OST system was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2005 as the nation’s largest and most cohesive after-school system, serving 85,000 children at its height in 2009. With this year’s proposed budget cuts, the OST system will be reduced by half. 191 programs will be forced to close, and only 25,000 children will have access to programs next year.

“Our after-school programs provide a structured, educational environment for children in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, and our curriculum includes dance and other recreational activities. Now the City wants to cut nearly two-thirds of our programs. If they lose their after-school programs, where will the children go? There is gun violence on our streets,” said Leslie Mantrone, Deputy Director of School and Community Based Programs at East Side House Settlement in Mott Haven. “In our community, these programs are a lifeline. We need to keep our children safe, active and learning, and we need to keep our parents in the workforce.”

“If I lose after-school for my son, I will have to go on public assistance just to make sure he has a safe place to be outside of school hours,” said parent Ada De la Rosa. “This decision would devastate me, but I have no other choice. Why would the City do this to hard-working parents who are already struggling just to get by?”

“I cannot help but dread the fate that awaits thousands of children and families who rely on the early childhood and after-school programs that are on the chopping block,” said Children’s Aid Society President and CEO Richard Buery. “The cuts will be particularly devastating to low-income children and their families, especially in neighborhoods such as Washington Heights and the Morrisania section of the South Bronx—two of the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods—which will face alarming reductions in after-school programs of 67% and 91% respectively.”

Filed Under: After School, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News Tagged With: , ,

Matthew Okebiyi Receives Congressional Award at “Standing On Our Father’s Shoulders” Gala Event

June 21, 2012 1:15 pm Leave a Comment

Matthew Okebiyi, Founder and Executive Director of the African American Planning Commission, recently received a US Congressional Award bestowed upon him by retiring U.S. Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns at the 2012 Awards Gala hosted by the Men’s Caucus for Congressman Edolphus Towns on June 18th, 2012, at Fleur De Lis.

The Congressional Award is an award established by the United States Congress to recognize initiative, service and achievement in individuals. It is non-partisan.

Okebiyi, along with a group of other honorees including Misba Addin, Kenneth Farrell, Matthew Huggins, Rev. Paul Mitchell, Arthur Molinelli, Leo Morris, Tremaine Prince, Gus Quinones, Dr. Ramanathan Raju, David Shelbnorne, Dr. Harold Simon, Dr. Swamy Sunkara, Monica L. Thomas and Tommy Merriweather, was recognized for his outstanding dedication to community service and for the establishment of the African American Planning Commission, a not-for-profit organization committed to addressing homelessness and the related issues of domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, shortage of affordable housing, and unemployment in New York City.

The African American Planning Commissioin operates the Serenity House Family Residence, the largest transitional Tier II domestic violence shelter in Brooklyn, New York. The mission of Serenity House is to offer survivors and their minor children, a safe but temporary haven in which to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. The secondary goal of Serenity House is to prepare families for independent living, assist them in locating permanent housing within or outside the State of New York, and to offer a host of on- and off-site supportive services that help empower victims and minimize the root causes of domestic violence.

Serenity House offers survivors of domestic violence (regardless of gender, race, culture, religion, ethnic background, or sexual preference) the opportunity to reside in a secured environment for up to six months or more, as needed. The program is culturally sensitive to allow families to feel immediately at home and to foster ethnic pride in children and family members. Serenity House is able to accommodate families including those with adolescent males. Serenity House is one of the very few transitional Tier II domestic violnce shelters in New York that will accept a male head-of-household for residency. On site services include case management, referral to mental health programs, onsite child and infant care programs, job preparedness training, computer literacy, After-school programs, housing placement assistance, money management classes, financial empowerment, and much more.

“Matthew has been a phenominal and tireless advocate for services that make a profound difference in the lives of those served and the community,” said Walter Campbell, President, Congressman Towns Men’s Caucus, who introduced Mr. Okebiyi to the gathering. “I am honored to present this award to Matthew Okebiyi. He is extremely deserving of this particular honor.” said Congressman Towns as he read the inscription on the award and presented it to Mr. Okebiyi.

Okebiyi conceived of the African American Planning Commission in 1994, and has been serving as its Executive Director ever since.

Other projects on the horizon for the Commission include rental and supportive housing for low-income single adults living with HIV/AIDS,  mental illness, and recovering from substance abuse. Some of the units in the building shall be earmarked for homeless vets and community residents. There are also plans on the table to develop senior housing, low and moderate-income housing, and a group home for youths.

AAPCI is a registered 501.c.3 not-for-profit organization. All cash donations are fully tax-deductible to the extent permissable by US tax-laws.

Below are some pictures taken at the event.

Walter Campbell introducing Matthew Okebiyi

From L to R: Walter Campbell, Congressman Ed Towns, Matthew Okebiyi

Matthew Okebiyi

 

From L to R: Walter Campbell, Matthew Okebiyi (honoree), Kenneth Farrell (honoree)

Honorable NYC Councilmember Charles Barron

 

From L to R: NYC Councilman Charles Barron, Matthew Okebiyi (honoree), Monica Lee (AAPCI), Gladys Pipkins (AAPCI)

 

From L to R: Misba Adbin (honoree), Walter Campbell, Matthew Okebiyi (honoree), Kenneth Farrell (honoree)

From L to R: Walter Campbell, Douglas Nelson, Hon. Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns, Hon. Councilman Charles Barron, John C. Whitehead

Monica Lee & Gladys Pipkins (AAPCI)

Filed Under: AAPCI Awards & Recognition, AAPCI ED's Corner, Aging, Domestic Violence, Housing, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News, Youths Tagged With: , , , ,

“Guilty Until Proven Innocent”: FPWA Report on PA Sanctions

June 20, 2012 1:11 pm Leave a Comment

New Yorkers facing economic crisis face a “Herculean” task in connecting with and maintaining welfare assistance, according to a new report by the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA).  The report finds the poorest New Yorkers are blocked from obtaining the financial assistance they desperately need by a never ending obstacle course of program requirements that are nearly impossible to fulfill and result in the loss of benefits through rampant and arbitrary case sanctions.

The findings are spelled out in detail in FPWA’s report Guilty until Proven Innocent: Sanctions, Agency Error and Financial Punishment within New York State’s Welfare System.

FPWA aruges that the problem of sanctions is pervasive and the process error ridden.  In March 2012, 3 in 10 of those participating in work requirements were sanctioned or in the sanction process.  And, the report continues, the City has a dismal record of defending its actions.  In State administered fair hearings, the agency was found lacking in over 75% of the hearings.

Sanctions drive households deeper into poverty. The current full welfare grant level leaves households living in “deep poverty,” as defined by the United State Census Bureau.  A case sanction means that for a parent with two children the family’s monthly cash income is cut from $753 to $502.  This grant is supposed to cover all basic needs including housing, utilities, transportation, laundry, personal hygiene products, clothing, school supplies for children, incidentals, and food needs not met by food stamps.

“The agency has set up a grueling, never ending obstacle course of requirements for getting and retaining welfare assistance.  This directly jeopardizes the health and safety of the poorest, most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Fatima Goldman, Executive Director/CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.   “The agency’s general mode of operation is unforgiving and they often fail in their duty to assess if there is a good reason the requirement couldn’t be met before the punishment is imposed.”  “Sanctions come at a great cost to struggling households, and city and state budgets alike, since sanctions lead to need for emergency shelters when housing is lost, domestic violence survivors are stuck in shelter or are forced to return to their abusers due to lack of resources, and parents come under the scrutiny of the child welfare agency because they lack essential income to meet their children’s need,” according to Liz Accles, Senior Policy Analyst at the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies.

Click here to download a copy of the full report.

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

Advocates Urge Restoration of Elder Abuse Funding

June 19, 2012 9:38 am Leave a Comment

Advocates used the occasion of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Friday to urge the restoration of funding for community-based services, specialized elder abuse units in District Attorney offices in the five boroughs, and other programs to assist elder abuse victims.   The City Council has restored $800,000 in funding through the Department for the Aging over the past four years to keep programs whole in local communities.

“In order to identify and combat elder abuse, we must do everything we can to ensure that some of our most vulnerable residents and those that provide services to them are well-informed about the issue,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “Older adults must know how to protect themselves and ways to access help. The City has resources available to prevent elder abuse and is committed to helping older adults live independently and with dignity, without the threat of neglect and mistreatment. Elder abuse is more common that we would like to think, and Elder Abuse Awareness Day serves as a way to spread the word that this despicable offense will not be tolerated.”

“Today we stand in solidarity with the victims of elder abuse,” said Councilwoman Jessica Lappin. “As Chair of the Aging Committee I’m working to restore elder abuse funding in the budget so our city can tackle this crime.”

“There is no excuse for elder abuse,” said Bobbie Sackman, Director of Public Policy, Council of Senior Centers and Services. “It is critical to raise awareness about elder abuse on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and every day. We stand in solidarity with the 120,000 older residents in NYC who are elder abuse victims suffering behind closed doors: physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse and exploitation. We are grateful that City Council has consistently restored the $800,000 for elder abuse services through the Department for the Aging.”

“In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, it is important to recognize the significant work that is done with elder abuse victims on a daily basis,” said Brooklyn District Attorney who cited the work of JASA. “They are our eyes and ears in the community.”

Hynes was joined by Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. in stressing the importance of this issue.

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

Young Fathers Face Obstacles in Providing for Their Children

June 15, 2012 7:15 pm 1 Comment

A new report released today by the Resilience Advocacy Project (RAP) focuses on the challenges faced and posed by the tens of thousands of young fathers in New York City as well as their potential to move their children out of poverty.

“Who Cares About New York’s Teen Dads? How Family Court Reform Can Help Break a Cycle of Poverty” paints a portrait of a group about which little is known. Using national data, city statistics, its own research and anecdotal evidence, RAP, a child and youth advocacy organization working to break cycles of poverty, finds the city’s population of young  and teen/adolescent fathers woefully undereducated and faced with bleak employment prospects, yet expected to adeptly navigate legal proceedings and provide child support.

“These are severely undereducated and under-skilled young men,” says Brooke Richie, Executive Director of RAP, yet we expect them to negotiate Family Court and meet the same support obligations as adult fathers. “Our neglect of these young fathers imperils their children’s futures as well as their own.”

Though they typically neither live with, nor are married to, the teen mothers of their children, these fathers are generally involved with their offspring, the report finds, providing informal and emotional support, and eventually, financial support. This less formal support is critically important to their children, who reap significant developmental benefits from their involvement with both parents, says the group.

There are more than 30,000 children of teen parents in New York City; most of them live in poverty.  While the report demonstrates the value of a father’s non-financial support, Who Cares About New York’s Teen Dads? also uses Urban Institute and national child support data to show the vital economic value of the fathers’ financial child support in lifting their children out of poverty. According to RAP, the Urban Institute found that “for poor custodial parents who received child support, such monies represented 40% of their income.”

The report goes on to argue that Family Court fails to “facilitate teen fathers’ ability to provide economic and emotional support to their children.”  “Child support is a critical anti-poverty tool,” says Richie, but we need to do a better job of meeting these dads where they are educationally and developmentally if we want them to actually be able to provide financial support.”

Click here for a full copy of the report.

Filed Under: Career Connector, Child Care, Finance, Nonprofit Headline News, Politics, Top News, Youths Tagged With: , , , , ,

Homeless Family Priority for Section 8 & NYCHA Would Save Money

June 15, 2012 7:05 pm Leave a Comment

Restoring priority referrals for Section 8 and NYCHA housing – a proposal by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn – would  save money for government in general  and New York City, according to a new report from the NYC Independent Budget Office (IBO).   The IBO estimates that if a total of 5,000 families a year were moved out of shelter through priority referrals for NYCHA and Section 8, family shelter costs would be $29.4 million lower, of which $11.0 million would be savings of city funds.  The IBO conducted its analysis in response to a request by the Speaker.

“The City Council proposal to restore priority referrals of homeless families for Section 8 and NYCHA—which had been city policy for nearly 20 years until it was ended in 2004—was one of several initiatives aimed at reducing the shelter population announced during Speaker Christine Quinn’s State of the City speech in February,” said the IBO report.  “It comes as the number of families living in the city’s shelter system has been rising following the elimination of the Advantage Rental Assistance Program more than a year ago. Under the proposal, the city would refer 2,500 homeless shelter residents for NYCHA apartments in the first year.

“If referrals were initially only available for NYCHA apartments—a possibility due to federal funding constraints—total family shelter savings for 2,500 placements in public housing would be $14.7 million a year, with about $5.5 million in city fund savings,” said the IBO.  “An additional 2,500 families a year would be placed into housing with Section 8 vouchers beginning in the second or third year, depending on when the vouchers become available, for a total of 5,000 annual placements. These placements represent roughly half of the annual expected turnover in each program this year.”

Click here to see the IBO’s complete analysis, which is in the form of a letter to Speaker Quinn.

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

Assembly Bill Allows Nonprofits to Purchase Off Government Contracts

June 7, 2012 3:56 pm Leave a Comment

A bill which would allow nonprofit corporations to purchase goods and services collaboratively with county governments was passed by the Assembly yesterday.  The bill (A-8551-A), which had been introduced by Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, passed unanimously on a vote of 112 to 0.

“Non-profits, like many local government entities, are operating on limited resources, while continuing to provide vital services to many of the most vulnerable among us,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “This bill will implement an important cost-saving measure to help non-profits continue to address the needs of those who need it most by allowing them to make purchases through county contracts for goods and services.”

The bill authorizes non-profit corporations to participate in purchasing agreements secured by the county to procure goods and services resulting in cost savings.

“During these challenging economic times, local governments and non-profits across the state have been forced to do more with less, while assisting a higher volume of customers,” said Galef. “Given the rising costs of both commodities and services, this bill will allow non-profits to purchase goods and services in a more cost-effective manner.”

“This bill will help to minimize the cost of providing services and protect the important work that these non-profits perform in our communities by allowing them to procure goods and services collaboratively with counties,” said Local Governments Committee Chair William Magnarelli.

A companion bill (S-2012A) has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

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

City, State Announce Major Supportive Housing Expansion

June 7, 2012 3:51 pm Leave a Comment

New York City and New York State have announced a major collaboration to increase the creation and availability of supportive housing for homeless and high needs individuals and families. The announcement came at this morning’s opening of the Supportive Housing Network of New York’s 12th Annual Statewide Conference being held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

New York City has set a goal of doubling its supportive housing production from 500 units annually to 1,000 units annually, said Mathew Wambua, Commissioner of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The increase will come through a collaborative use of resources being made available from a number of City and State agencies.

As part of its Medicaid Redesign initiative, the State will be making $75 million in Medicaid funding available to create supportive housing available for high needs and high costs Medicaid recipients where there is a believe that the provision of stable housing will allow significant improvements in health and consequent reductions in Medicaid spending. An initial $25 million of this allocation is being made available for capital funding for State NYNY III supportive housing projects.

For the first time, the NYS Department of Homes and Community Renewal will be making capital funding available to supportive housing in addition to bond financing and 4% tax credits, said Commissioner Darryl Towns.

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has committed to provide 200 Section 8 vouchers available annually for the creation of new supportive housing unit – the first ever commitment of its kind. The vouchers will support homeless families and individuals referred by the Department of Homeless Services and NYCHA residents who require supportive services. In addition, NYCHA is planning to collaborate with HPD on RFPs for development of supportive housing on underutilized NYCHA land, explained NYCHA Chairman John Rea.

“This is truly historic at a time like this for the state and city to commit new resources and redeploy existing resources to house the most vulnerable among us,” said William Taylor, Chair of the Supportive Housing Network Board of Directors.

“Moments like these are the culmination of a lot effort,” said Ted Houghton, SHNNY Executive Director. “This comes down to leadership by these individuals who have tremendous vision and who have pursued it against all barriers.”

More information on these initiatives, including the announcement of anticipated Requests for Proposals by several State and City agencies, will be made available when they are announced.

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

Assembly Votes to Continue Reduced Water Rates for NYC Charities

June 5, 2012 4:52 am Leave a Comment

The New York State Assembly voted unanimously last week to continue reduced water rates for hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, daycare centers and other charitable organizations in New York City.  The legislation (A-9813) had been introduced by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

“I am proud to take the lead in providing these groups with the much deserved help they need to ensure they do not face undue financial hardship during these challenging economic times,” said Silver. “The work that these institutions provide to the most vulnerable among us is too important to allow this valuable cost-saving measure to expire. This bill will help these organizations to focus on the community they serve rather than worry about making ends meet.”

“During these troubling financial times, it is of critical importance that we do all we can to make sure that hospitals and charities do not face undue financial hardship,” said Carl Heastie, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Cities. “This bill will allow these organizations to continue their great work and focus on helping those who need it most. I commend Speaker Silver for sponsoring and bringing this important cost saving measure to the floor.”

Provisions included in the bill would extend for two additional years an exemption on certain water charges to religious institutions, hospitals, schools, homes for the elderly, daycare centers and other organizations. The organizations are not charged for water services up to a value of $32,295 and pay only half the charges on water valued at less than $64,577. This benefit that is set to expire in September of this year.

“It is imperative that we continue to provide this valuable benefit for these organizations that serve our communities so well,” added Silver. “I will continue to advocate for the approval of this bill in the Senate and for it to ultimately be signed into law by the Governor.”

At present, there is no companion bill in the NYS Senate.

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

Domestic Violence Survivors Overcome Past Violence to Succeed in Business

June 4, 2012 6:21 pm Leave a Comment

Ebony Fletcher at the Crown Heights salon where she works. Fletcher was shot twice by an ex-boyfriend and left for dead. Thanks to a grant from Verizon Entrepreneurship Training Initiative, a special fund for survivors of domestic violence, she was able to launch a haircare line.

CROWN HEIGHTS — Ebony Fletcher aches every time it rains, and a downpour last week was no different.

As lighting flashed and thunder rattled the windows, the 32-year-old stylist pressed on the ghost of a gunshot wound under her halo of black curls and winced.

The pain is a reminder of everything she’s worked so hard to accomplish — her own hair-dressing chair at a hip Crown Heights salon, a line of haircare products with customers worldwide — all the dreams that flashed before her eyes when her ex-boyfriend tackled her in the hallway of her East New York apartment, pressed the muzzle of his gun to the back of her head and fired.

“My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to die,’” Fletcher said. “I’m only 25, and I’m about to go out like this in a hallway.”

Miraculously, she didn’t. Fletcher survived with a bullet lodged in her right thigh and a nick to her skull, just as Angela Lewis, 31 of Bedford-Stuyvesant survived the brutal abuse that landed her and her two children in a shelter for nine months.

Angela Lewis and Lia Jay, two graduates of the Sanctuary for Families' entrepreneurship program. Both hope to receive a grant from Verizon Entrepreneurship Training Initiative, a special fund for survivors of domestic violence.

Both women are among the nearly 10,000 survivors of domestic violence counted in Brooklyn by the NYPD every year, averaging more than a third of the survivors citywide.

Those who don’t survive are even more likely to have spent their last moments in the borough, as more New Yorkers are killed by their partners in Brooklyn than anywhere else in the city, statistics show. Central Brooklyn — specifically Bedford-Stuyvesant — is particularly plagued, statistics show.

But Fletcher and Lewis have something else in common besides violence in the their past. Both women are entrepreneurs, whose determination has helped them transform their dreams into burgeoning businesses.

“I went from selling one jar a month to 20 a week, and then to four countries,” Fletcher said of her beauty line, Hair Krack, which took off after she won a grant from the Verizon Entrepreneurship Training Initiative, a special fund for survivors of domestic violence.

Domestic violence survivor Ebony Fletcher was able to start her own line of haircare products with help from the grant.

“I started Hair Krack with $25. Once I had the grant … it took it out of the park.”

It’s the same grant Lewis hopes will help her grow Empress Catering, a Caribbean soul food company she developed in the inaugural entrepreneurship program at New York’s Sanctuary for Families, which graduated its first class of survivor-CEOs on Thursday.

“It means a lot to women who are survivors of domestic violence, who are trying to start our lives over,” Lewis said. “It shows our children and our family that we can move on from the past.”

Filed Under: Domestic Violence, Finance, Health, Nonprofit Headline News, Small Business, Top News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,