More than 500 New Yorkers, including advocates, providers, elected officials and individuals who rely on human services, turned out in a pouring rain last night to answer the question “Who Cares?”    The rally was the latest in a series of “Who Cares? I Do!” events organized by the Human Services Council of New York (HSC) to highlight the importance of human services in the lives of all New Yorkers and raise awareness of the substantial threats which budget decisions at the City and State level are posing to those vital programs.

Offering their support to HSC at last night’s event were Comptroller John Liu and City Council Members Annabel Palma, Julissa Ferreras, Oliver Koppell, Margaret Chin, Letitia James, Stephen Levin, Robert Jackson and Jumaane Williams.

“The stakes are very high for New York City in the wake of the recently enacted state budget that cut $300 million from human services,” said Michael Stoller, Executive Director of HSC. “The state budget divests from communities that have already been hit very hard by the recession. It’s now incumbent upon the Mayor to put a variety of fair and equitable solutions on the table to create the best environment for our businesses and communities.”

HSC Board Chair Joel Copperman, CEO of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), presented over 4,500 signed petitions supporting human services to Annabel Palma who also serves as Chair of the Council’s General Welfare Committee.

“The $300 million in cuts to social services proposed in the Mayor’s budget will have a devastating effect on working New Yorkers,” said Council Member Palma. “These cuts will result in decreased spending in struggling communities, drive up unemployment, and will further destabilize families already reeling from a bad economy. Cutting programs and services that working families rely on is simply not responsible government, and not the kind of social and economic justice New Yorkers expect from their leaders.”  

“Cut Back? Fight Back!” chanted the crowd in response to a rousing address by Council Member Letitia James.

“We don’t have a spending problem, we have a revenue problem. We need to stop giving tax breaks to the wealthy,” said Council Member Jumaane Williams., citing Governor Cuomo’s recent support for ending the Personal Income Tax surcharge on high income New Yorkers.  “That tax would have given the state $1 billion this year and $5 billion next year.  If Mayor Bloomberg had supported us in that fight, he wouldn’t be making these cuts.”

Program participants also expressed their support for human services and the vital role which they had played in their lives.   “Without Children’s Aid Society and the OST (Out-of-School Time) program, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” said Selena Valentin, an eighth grader who is President of the youth leadership program in the Roberto Clemente Community School in the Bronx.

The rally highlighted a number of devastating cuts outlined in the Mayor’s Preliminary budget, including the elimination of child care subsidies for almost 17,000 children with low-income working parents.

“Our city cannot afford to lose any child care slots. Families are being forced to make impossible choices that can endanger their children’s welfare and their ability to keep their jobs. We need this funding restored to help strengthen families rather than contribute to tearing them apart. The welfare of our children should not rest on families alone―this needs to be a partnership,” said Council Member Ferreras.

Advocates also noted that the Department of Homeless Services is facing severe cuts at both the city and state levels, jeopardizing the agency’s ability to adequately provide shelter and services to homeless individuals and families. The $192 million city, state and federal Advantage housing subsidy program, which enables homeless New Yorkers to leave homeless shelters and become self-sufficient, is facing total elimination.

Similarly, the city is also planning major budget reductions to HIV/AIDS services, including a $4.2 million cut that would eliminate 248 HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA) Case Managers.  Another cut would eliminate over $1.8 million in funding for supportive housing case management, which serves about one in seven HASA clients with a history of homelessness, mental health issues, and chronic substance use in addition to HIV/AIDS. The second cut would eliminate one-third of HASA caseworker staff that provide access to emergency and permanent housing, Medicaid, and food stamps.

“Supportive housing case management prevents recurring homelessness and ensures that clients remain connected to healthcare, including mental health and substance use treatment,” said Council Member Koppell. “These cuts are a short-sighted approach to dealing with the budget shortfall and will end up setting people back and costing the city more money.”

“We believe that human services in New York are not just worthwhile, but they are a solid investment in terms of our future,” said Paul Feuerstein, President/CEO of Barrier Free Living who joined the crowed.  “If we are not educating our children, not providing day care to working mothers, not providing domestic violence services to battered women, what is the recourse?  For every dollar that gets put into DV, it saves $10 in emergency room costs and lost wages.  People are just looking at the short term;  they are not looking at the long term impact.”

Singing and stepping in the rain to keep up the soggy crowd’s spirits were Navegante, the Ozone Step Team and Robert McMinn, aka Roberto Buscarsi, a local ukulele player.

Comments

B

i

u

Quote

Code

List

List item

URL

Name *
Email (For verification & Replies)
URL
Code   
ChronoComments by Joomla Professional Solutions

Submit Comment