April Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press

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6 New York Nonprofit Press www.nynp.biz April 2010 NEWS Advocates Express Concern over Westchester Cuts Westchester providers and advocates are concerned about how new County Executive Rob Astorino’s first round of budget cuts will play out – and what it may portend for the next four years. As we went to press, they were hoping to share those concerns directly with Astorino at a meeting scheduled for March 19th. On March 9th, Astorino announced $16 million of cuts to current year programs as the first step towards closing what is estimated to be a $166 million annual deficit. Several aspects of the planned cuts seem clear. Others, including cuts to Community Optional Preventive Services (COPS) and family shelter New York is LEADERSHIP THE NEW SCHOOL is New York EARN A MASTER OF SCIENCE AT MILANO Make a difference. Shape the way organizations work, communities function, and people live. Milano develops effective leaders for the nonprofit, public, and private sectors using New York City as a laboratory. Whether you are starting out, changing, or advancing your career, Milano can help you design a program to meet your goals. Come to Milano—you’ll change the world. MS degrees in: · Nonprofit Management · Urban Policy Analysis and Management · Organizational Change Management World-renowned faculty and lifetime career services INFORMATION SESSION Wednesday, April 14, at 6:00 p.m. 72 Fifth Avenue, NYC For more information about Milano, contact admissions at 212.229.5462 or visit us online. programs, had yet to be finalized. “Thirty-seven percent of these reductions come out of the Department of Social Services and most of that is services for children,” says Cora Greenberg, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Association. “The County Executive has said that layoffs are a last resort. We’d like to think that cutting services for children should be the last resort.” Of the $5.8 million in social service budget cuts, the largest portion, $3.3 million, comes from projected savings due to reductions in the County’s foster care census and/or the placement of children in less restrictive and therefore less expensive levels of care. “There is no reduction in services to kids in care,” says DSS Commissioner Kevin Mahon. “This is a good story, a great story. A year and a half ago we started looking at our kids in care and how we could provide better services locally so we could either get them home faster or step them down faster.” Greenberg appreciates the success of this effort but differs as to what to do with the savings from having fewer young people in care. “If you can save $3.3 million in foster care, you should be plowing that money back into services,” she says. “Where are these kids going Just because they are leaving care doesn’t mean they don’t need services to keep them safe. We have to do better than that.” The second major area of savings is in child care subsidies where Astorino plans to reduce expenditures by $1.5 million. The savings will come from three areas – reducing a “scholarship” program that provides subsidies to families with income exceeding 200 percent of the poverty level, increasing parent co-pays for families with income between 100% and 200% of poverty, and ending new admissions to the Title XX child care program. “This is a level of subsidy not available anyplace else,” says County spokesperson Ned McCormack of the “scholarship” program. “We are coming back to the mandated targets.” Mahon stated that the increase in parent copay from 15% to 20% would have varying impact on families depending on where they fell within the 100%-200% of poverty income bracket. He estimated that the maximum increase for a family of three would be $80 per month, bringing total monthly parent fees to just under $300. “And, it is for families,” “Drop Your Guns!” AG Shuts Down Yonkers SPCA he emphasized. “If you have two or three children, you only pay once.” The County plans to get $750,000 in savings through reduction in expenditures for family shelters. “We don’t have that many people in our shelters,” says Mahon. “We have a vacancy factor that will allow us to reduce costs.” Mahon indicated that the County would be meeting with providers to go over its estimates of how reduced occupancy can reduce contractual expenses. Finally, the County is looking to its Community Optional Preventive Services (COPS) programs for an estimated $272,000 in County taxlevy savings. “These are optional programs. By definition, these programs serve low risk kids,” says Mahon. However, Mahon says that no final decision have been made on how or where cuts to COPS programs will be made, despite the fact that individual programs received letters outlining their budget reductions. “They went with a number and they were supposed to react to the department,” says Mahon. “We have a meeting next week to talk about the impact. We are clearly not going to put ourselves in a position where we bring kids back into care. We just want to make sure we understand totally what each one of these programs does and the impact. We have time and we want to do this right.” Greenberg argues that cuts to COPS programs are counterproductive on a number of fronts. From a cost benefit standpoint, she stresses that the County will be giving up far more than it saves. Westchester pays only 35 cents on the dollar for COPS programs. Consequently, the $272,000 cut will cost the County twice that amount in Federal and State aid. And, she says, these services make sense programmatically. “These are the programs that keep kids safely at home. One program, for example, keeps young children out of psychiatric hospitals. If you don’t have alternatives to detention, PINS diversions and these other things, you are going to wind up with kids in jail or in much higherend residential placement. That is what these programs are preventing.” Greenberg was be one of several advocates and providers who were to meet with County Executive Astorino to express these concerns at the March 19th meeting. www.newschool.edu/milano13 The New School is a leading university in New York City offering some of the nation’s most distinguished degree, certificate, and continuing education programs in art and design, liberal arts, management and policy, and the performing arts. An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has obtained an order to shut down the Yonkers Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The organization had given Peace Officer status to over a dozen individuals, allowing them to carry guns without providing any service to the community. “The individuals behind the Yonkers SPCA took advantage of a nationally renowned non-profit to masquerade as a law enforcement entity with no responsibilities or oversight,” said Attorney General Cuomo. “Since this organization provides no service to the community, we have shut it down.” Yonkers SPCA, headquartered at 976 McLean Avenue in Yonkers, was incorporated in 1912 but has not conducted any legitimate programmatic operations in decades, according to the AG. The SPCA of Westchester had expanded its territory to include Yonkers and has provided and continues to provide prevention of cruelty to animal services to the city. In 2007, despite the fact that the SPCA of Westchester was handling animal cruelty cases in Yonkers, Sean Collins, 43, of Millerton, resurrected the long-dormant Yonkers SPCA and established a new Board of Directors without the proper authority. The newly reconstituted Yonkers SPCA conducted no law enforcement activities. Nevertheless, the organization conferred peace officer status to at least 16 members over the past three years, essentially allowing them to carry guns while not doing any activities relating to the prevention of cruelty to animals. By comparison, the SPCA of Westchester conducts all such enforcement across the county and has only two peace officers.
April 2010 New York Nonprofit Press www.nynp.biz 7 NEWS NEWS GOT NEWS Email editor@nynp.biz ACS Plans Contract Extensions as Providers Await RFP Results NYC’s Administration for Children’s Services is moving to extend existing foster care and preventive services contracts as providers continue to await the results of the child welfare Request for Proposals. In E-mail correspondence to providers, ACS Executive Deputy Commissioner for Operations Belinda Conway stated that Foster Boarding Home contracts will be extended through September 30, 2010. Preventive contracts will be extended based on the transition plan for each program such that the contracts will end between June 30 and November 30, 2010 with most contracts ending September 30, 2010. “We expect to extend all current residential care contracts through March 31, 2011,” said Conway. New contracts for family foster care and preventive are now expected to begin on October 1, 2010 and all new contracts for residential care will begin on January 1, 2011. “There will be a three-month overlap between current and new contracts for these services,” said Conway. ACS indicated that it will notify agencies as soon as the new contract recommendations are approved. “We hope to do so in March or early April,” said Conway. “Transition activity will include expansion for some programs, reduction in slots for others, as well as new program openings and some program closures.” New Perspectives on Disability The Master of Arts degree in Disability Studies is preparing a new generation of service providers, researchers, advocates, and policy makers to be leaders in the field, in the classroom, and at the policy table. With a crossdisciplinary, holistic curriculum and an outstanding faculty, students have the opportunity to explore the phenomenon of disability from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. “True Colors” Construction Begins; NYC’s First Permanent Housing for LGBT Youth West End Intergenerational Residence HDFC, Inc. has closed financing and commenced construction on True Colors Residence, New York City’s first permanent housing facility with support services for previously homeless, 18-24 year old lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. True Colors was conceived by West End Executive Director Colleen Jackson, and by musical artist Cyndi Lauper and Ms. Lauper’s manager, Lisa Barbaris. The project entails the construction of a new, energy-efficient multifamily building containing 30 studio apartments, indoor and outdoor community space for residents, and a computer room and resource library. The building is named in honor of Cyndi’s Lauper’s support for the project and for West End, and references Lauper’s hit song, “True Colors.” True Colors is being financed by a variety of sources, including a construction loan and the purchase of low-income housing tax credits by Citi; construction and permanent lending provided by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Supportive Housing Loan Program; construction and permanent lending from the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Afford- For Late Breaking News & the Latest in Job Updates Get the NYNP E-Newsletter Call 866.336.6967 or Email publisher@nynp.biz able Housing Program, through its member M&T Bank; a grant from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer; and a loan from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). A portion of the financing was made possible by the Federal Tax Credit Assistance Program. The low-income housing tax credit equity is being syndicated by Richman Housing Resources LLC, a member of The Richman Group of Companies. “This is a very exciting time for West End,” said Colleen Jackson. “After what seems like an eternity, we have finally broken ground and are one step closer to our goal of turning the concept of the True Colors Residence into reality. We extend our sincerest gratitude to all of our funders and collaborators and we send special thanks to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer for his invaluable support, and to Cyndi Lauper and Lisa Barbaris whose commitment to serving the needs of LGBT youth led to the creation of this residence. ” “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth living on the streets and in foster care need our support more than ever,” said Cyndi Lauper. “In New York City, the True Colors Residence is going to play a big role in providing these young people with the leg up and encouragement they need. I am thrilled that construction has already begun and I am honored to be a part of this important project.” Acquisition and pre-development financing for True Colors was provided by the Corporation for Supportive Housing and the New York Acquisition Fund. Joseph Biber was engaged as Housing and Development Consultant for the project and legal counsel was provided by Hirschen, Singer & Epstein LLP. The building was designed by Edelman Sultan Knox Wood Architects LLP. True Colors is being constructed by C&A Construction Corporation. Support services will be offered through funding from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. www.sps.cuny.edu/madisability 212.652.2869 Learn more about our Disability Studies programs at our next Open House, April 27, 2010!
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April Edition 2010 - New York Nonprofit Press

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