Human Services Council of New York

Human services was front and center at last week’s Mayoral Candidate Forum!   On December 5, we held "Resilience and Prosperity: The Future of Human Services and Economic Mobility in NYC," an opportunity for human services leaders to hear directly from mayoral candidates on their views facing our sector. We were thrilled to have Comptroller Brad Lander, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Senator Jessica Ramos, and former Comptroller Scott Stringer join us and share their plans for making the human services sector more just and equitable for nonprofits, workers, and communities. We’re grateful to Katie Honan from The City for moderating this discussion, as well as our partners NYC Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), DAY CARE COUNCIL OF NEW YORK INC, FPWA, Homeless Services United (HSU), LiveOn NY, Nonprofit New York, Partnership for After School Education (PASE), The Health & Housing Consortium, and United Neighborhood Houses for making the forum a success! ➡️ Watch the full livestream: https://lnkd.in/eRmWVtPT Photo Credits: Ari Mintz

“Paying nonprofit city contractors on time is the hottest issue of the 2025 elections.” 🔥 Yesterday’s Human Services Mayoral Candidate Forum showed that our advocacy is making waves - and leaders are paying attention. Read more in POLITICO’s coverage of our event:   https://lnkd.in/epBngprz

📣 We’re thrilled to share that HSC’s Executive Director Michelle Jackson has been recognized as a 2024 #NonprofitPowerPlayer! A huge congratulations to Michelle for this honor recognizing her powerful advocacy for a more equitable human services sector and #JustPay for our essential nonprofit workforce. Congratulations to the many HSC members and human services leaders who are also on the list: Na’ilah Amaru (Women Creating Change), Rich Baum (Educational Alliance), Grace Bonilla (United Way of New York City), Phoebe Boyer (Children's Aid), Tehra Coles (Center for Family Representation), Sheila Duke (Roads to Success), Nathaniel Fields (Urban Resource Institute), Beth Finkel (AARP New York), David Garza (Henry Street Settlement), Rachael Gazdick (New York Edge), William Gettman (Northern Rivers Family of Services), Jeffrey Ginsburg (Volunteers of America-Greater New York, Eric Goldstein (UJA-Federation of New York), Sharon Greenberger (YMCA of Greater New York), Amy Harclerode (Hetrick-Martin Institute), Jennifer Jones Austin (FPWA), Roderick L. Jones (Goddard Riverside), Dan Lehman (HELP USA), Mitchell Netburn (Samaritan Daytop Village, Inc.), Ramon Peguero (Committee for Hispanic Children & Families), Perry Perlmutter (Services for the UnderServed), Brenda Rosen (Breaking Ground (NYC Permanent Supportive Housing)), Eric Rosenbaum (Project Renewal), Jody Rudin (INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY LIVING, INC), Frederick Shack (Urban Pathways), Beth Shapiro (Citymeals on Wheels), Susan Stamler (United Neighborhood Houses), Kimberly Watson (Graham Windham), and Darlene Williams (Union Settlement) 👏 See the full list, and learn about Michelle and HSC's advocacy: https://lnkd.in/ePhitWGE #PowerList #AMNYPP #PoliticsNYPP

Chronic late payments from the City force nonprofits to take on debt and consider layoffs, jeopardizing programs that are the lifeline of our communities. HSC’s Procurement Survey results show that despite progress, problems still persist. Learn more in a new article highlighting this urgent issue facing the human services sector: https://lnkd.in/er9bx7GP #Nonprofit #HumanServices

Last week, HSC’s Director of Policy, Research, and Impact Gloria Kim participated on a panel, “Building Fair and Just Contracting With Government,” at the Center for Nonprofit Management’s 2024 #SocialImpactSummit in Los Angeles. She spoke about the collective achievements of the #JustPay Campaign, which is fighting for livable wages for City and State-contracted human services workers. Thank you for this opportunity to raise awareness about how we’re advocating for human services workers and organizations! #HumanServices #Nonprofit

HSC's new survey results don’t surprise us: many nonprofits with City contracts still struggle to stay afloat and are owed millions of dollars in City payments. Our champions Councilmember Justin Brannan and Councilmember Althea Stevens just dropped an op-ed on how we fix this👇 https://lnkd.in/ehTSF__2

✨ The joy of organizing for #JustPay was in full force at our #SOMOS2024 Nonprofit Luncheon! It was uplifting to have human services leaders from across New York come together to be in community and celebrate the sustainability of the sector. We were thrilled to honor Zoraida Vega Tirado from ESPERANZA PARA LA VEJEZ INC and Grace Bonilla from United Way of New York City for their lifelong dedication to serving our communities. A special thank you to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and their Executive Director Monsignor Kevin Sullivan for hosting the event with us, and to our co-sponsors Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies (COFCCA), DAY CARE COUNCIL OF NEW YORK INC, FPWA, Homeless Services United (HSU), LiveOn NY, NYC Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC), Supportive Housing Network of New York, UJA-Federation of New York, United Neighborhood Houses, and United Way of New York City. Finally, a huge thank to you to all the elected officials who took time to celebrate with us, including Councilmember Gale Brewer, Senator-elect Siela Bynoe, Senator Jeremy Cooney, Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Assemblymember Chantel Jackson, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Senator Zellnor Myrie, Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera, and Councilmember Susan Zhuang. Enjoy photos from the event: https://lnkd.in/ebHjzVHi #SOMOS #HumanServices #Nonprofit

A statement from HSC’s Executive Director Michelle Jackson on yesterday’s election and the road ahead: "It is challenging to do the work we do, even in the best of times. Every day, we work around the clock to meet the needs of our communities and help New Yorkers when they need us most. Together, we fought for the COLA, we organized, we slept outside City Hall, we mobilized frontline workers, and we held actions that sparked change. Not all of it worked when we wanted it to - or how we wanted it to. We still have a long list of reforms the sector needs.  This work was never easy. And after yesterday’s election, it feels harder.  You are a critical part of a network of fighters, fixers, helpers, and troublemakers. It is the community we have built, and our community in New York, that will get us through this. We have the tools for this fight - our passion, our resources, our talents, our tenacity, and our love. We will mobilize and organize, and as always, we will do it together.  HSC will pivot to join the fight and ensure we leverage all the resources possible to push back against the harm that could lay ahead. We will fight harder than ever for JustPay, for fair contracting, and for greater investment in the services that sustain our communities—especially those that may be harmed under a Trump presidency. As we look at the road ahead, I ask you to look at the community we have built - together. You meet people on their worst days and help them navigate to a brighter tomorrow, keep them from falling through the cracks of a system that is failing them, or sometimes designed to fail them. And so, we will do what we are called to do, even when it feels hard. We will find joy in the work, in the struggle, and in the success. In big and small ways, we will make the future better through our services and advocacy. So today, take care of yourself. I hope you will reach out to the people who bring you peace, including peers from the HSC community, and find ways to ground yourself. Tomorrow, we will pick up the fight again. For our workers and for all the people we serve, we will fight."

In a new letter to the editor, HSC's Executive Director Michelle Jackson and Homeless Services United (HSU)'s Executive Director Kristin Miller push back on previous reporting by Crain's and set the facts straight on what really holds nonprofits back: government underfunding and a broken contracting system. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/exDkrZqV

This week, HSC’s Executive Director Michelle Jackson received the Leila Salmon Advocacy Award from Mental Health Association in New York State recognizing her fierce human services advocacy! Thank you to Michelle for fighting everyday for #JustPay and a more equitable sector, and to MHANYS for this honor 👏