Our organization is a vital partner with government in providing services in the community; government relies on our expertise in creating and delivering programs, and we in turn rely on government contracts for many of the services we offer. Through this partnership, government obligations are met and our mission is moved forward.
In fact, New York City outsources almost all human services to nonprofits, investing about $4 billion annually in programs that serve 1.5 million New Yorkers each year — everything from home delivered meals to shelters for domestic violence to mental health services and far more. But while $4 billion may sound like a lot, NYC has come to pay the nonprofit sector about 80 cents on the dollar, creating significant funding gaps that are leading to unsustainable financial strains. Experts estimate that 18% of NYC human service nonprofits are insolvent.
To alleviate this shortfall between what government funds and what services cost to provide, organizations turn to fundraising and other philanthropic revenue, but the gap between what government pays for services and our ability to fundraise is widening, and for some nonprofits, that gap has become too wide to cross.
It is for this reason that The Child Center of NY, along with 217 other NYC nonprofit human services providers, sent a letter to the Mayor in December requesting a 12 percent increase on our contracts. We are asking the Mayor to ensure that New York remains a safe, diverse, and inclusive sanctuary for all.
Thankfully, we have the backing of the New York City Council, whose recently released response to the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget includes strong support for the Sustain our Sanctuary campaign budget ask for FY18. As Council Member Julissa Ferreras states in the press release, “Finally, as a sanctuary city with a plan, now is the time to right-size human services contracts so that our city’s non-profits may continue to support New Yorkers where they need it most…”
The Child Center will be participating in a number of actions as part of the Sustain Our Sanctuary Campaign, and you can help. We know that Mayor de Blasio cares and can help us — but he needs to hear from people like you. Would you please join us by filling out a postcard to the Mayor?
Please print this Postcard, fill out your information, and mail it to the Mayor’s office. (Or you can print out the message in Letter format and send.) You can also follow and contribute to the #SustainOurSanctuary campaign on social media.
We will be participating in more actions in the future and will share them with our community.
Thank you for your support!
