While our Human Services Bake Sale was a huge success, there still remains much work to be done. This past week, Governor Cuomo announced his Executive Budget and it did not include our budget priorities. Human services are the foundation of our communities, providing critical interventions to constituents, including after-school programs, supportive housing, job training, community centers, and more. For 8 of the last 10 years, Governor Cuomo has deferred the statutory cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for nonprofit human services employees, withholding over an estimated $707 million from human services employees. As the Legislative and Budget session for FY20 begins, the Strong Nonprofits for a Better New York campaign is advocating for $140 million COLA that encompasses the entire human services sector, including organizations contracting with the following State agencies: OTDA, OCFS, DOL, DHCR, DHR, NCS, OWIG, OMH, OPWDD, OASAS, DDPC, CQCAPD, DOH, NYSOFA. This investment will help to ensure that our services remain intact and we be able to sustain our programs throughout the State.

It is important that the human services sector’s voice is heard and that is why we are asking for your organization’s Board Chair to send a letter to Governor Cuomo to ask him to support a COLA for human services workers. Please find a template of the letter here for your Board Chair to sign on and send to Governor’s office by February 8th to show the importance of this to the human services sector and the communities we serve.

If you have any questions, please email info@strongnonprofitsny.org