- Sarah Crean on Exclusive: Proposed policy would allow industries to self-audit pollution-generating activities
- David Howard King on Bronx senator's health quest
- Cristian Salazar and Carla Murphy on Stops lawsuit given class status
- Cristian Salazar on NYC Council passes banking bill
- David Howard King on Senate Dems Look to Nat'l Issues
Social Services Reports:
Advances in Juvenile Justice Reform
The National Juvenile Justice Network looks at over 250 advances that have benefitted the reform of youthful offenders. The guide looks at how communities all over the country have changed their systems to better benefit offenders, staff and the public. 2012-09-25
The professionalization of financial counseling
This report by the Department of Consumer Affairs, CUNY, and Columbia University details the city's efforts to provide high-quality, effective financial counseling at scale and professionalize the field itself. 2012-08-27
State of the homeless
Over the past year, the city’s homeless shelter population soared to its highest levels ever, with more than 43,000 homeless New Yorkers – including a record 17,000 children – bedding down each night in municipal shelters, according to this report by the Coalition for the Homeless. 2012-06-11
How to Fix the State's Hospital Indigent Care Program
This report by the Community Service Society assesses the financial assistance programs of the 201 hospitals statewide which participate in the hospital Indigent Care Pool program. 2012-03-15
As Rental Subsidies End, Shelter Time Grows
In the eight months since the city stopped signing new Advantage leases - a program that offered rental assistance for formerly homeless families - the average shelter stay for a family was 316 days, nearly two months longer than the average for the same period last year. The city ended the program after the state stopped offering funds for it. But the courts ruled that the city must continue assistance for families already enrolled until the beginning of February. 2012-03-01
Eliminating Local Funding for Medicaid
The state's unusual requirement for substantial local government financing of Medicaid places an inequitable burden on taxpayers in less affluent communities, according to this report by the Citizens Budget Commission. Because Medicaid provides health care services primarily to the poor, low‐income counties pay a disproportionately large portion of Medicaid costs relative to their population size and wealth. 2011-12-13
Combating Nursing Home Abuse and Poor Care
A report released today by the Long Term Care Community Coalition indicates that the state has levied fines against 12 nursing homes for substandard care and other safety issues in the last three months. Fines range from $4,000 to $24,000. The state also took other actions against 13 nursing homes for causing resident harm or putting them in immediate jeopardy over the same period. 2011-12-01
Homeless Shelter Population Hits New Highs
According to this report by the Coalition for the Homeless, 41,204 homeless people slept in the municipal shelter system at the end of October - the first time ever that the shelter population has reached that level. There were also an all-time record 16,934 children bedding down in municipal homeless shelters, a 10 percent increase since May alone. 2011-11-10
Local Investment by Banks Declines
In spite of a $38 billion increase in local deposits at the city's 20 largest banks over the past two years, reinvestment in the city's communities by those banks declined by $4.4 billion according to this new report by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. 2011-09-29
Unemployment Among Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
As many as half of all foster youth who leave the foster care system each year are not connecting to the world of work, leading to high rates of homelessness and even incarceration, according to this report by the Center for an Urban Future. 2011-09-08
Care and Oversight of Assisted Living
Many adult homes, enriched housing and assisted living residences are
violating the state's care rules and are either harming their residents or
putting them at risk for harm, according to this report by the Long Term Care Community Coalition. 2011-05-27
Child Care Funding Slashed as Need Grows
Even with the restoration of planned cuts to 16,000 child care slots, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's budget would still reduce the level of child care funding below what are already inadequate levels to meet the needs of low-income families, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute. Funding would be considerably below the annual average level for 2008-2010 and it increases child care co-payments from families by $13 million, even though the need among low-income families is five times as great as what the city now funds. 2011-05-12
City Could Lose Millions in Antipoverty Aid
President's Barack Obama's plan to cut federal block grants by half could have a major effect on the city's poorest neighborhoods, according to research by the city's Independent Budget Office. New York now receives more than $30 million from the grants, which go to programs benefiting some 30,000 people. Obama also wants to change the process of allocating the money. Together cuts and changes in the program, according to the IBO, mean "New York could lose a substantial amount of federal funds for some of the poorest areas in the city -- at a time when state and local resources for these communities are already strained." 2011-05-11
Funding Cuts Could Shelve Many Library Branches
Just three years after the Mayor and City Council reached a funding agreement to keep the city’s more than 200 branch libraries open at least six days a week, many branches have had to scale back their hours of operation, according to the Independent Budget Office. City funding for New York’s three library systems is on the wane and could reach its lowest level since the 1990s under the Mayor’s preliminary budget plan for next year. 2011-04-22
Reassessing Poverty During the Great Depression
In the absence of public initiatives, the 2009 poverty rate - as defined by the city's Center fro Economic Opportunity - would have been 22.6 percent, a 3.0 percentage point rise from 2008, according to this new report by the Center. 2011-04-06
Latino Families in Distress
Latino families account for a disproportionate number of the abuse and neglect reports for children in New York City, according to a new report, "The State of Latino Families in New York 2011" by the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families. The report also found high levels of obesity and asthma among Latino children, along with a teenage birthrate seven times higher than that for whites,
2011-03-23
State's Long Term Care Report Card
Last year, New York state government's protection of those who rely on long term care varied widely from entity to entity, according to this new report card by the Long Term Care Community Coalition. The Medicaid inspector general and the attorney general fared best with 'A' marks, while the Senate received the worst grade with a 'D-'. 2011-03-10
Childcare Shortage
Subsidized childcare is becoming increasingly hard to find in New York City as the need for it continues to grow, according to a report by the Center for an Urban Future. The think tank found that as many as 40,000 parents may be waiting for slots for their children. The Bloomberg administration has recently cut funding for childcare, closed centers and stopped offering vouchers to anyone not on welfare. This, the report, said has affected the many New York families not on welfare but too poor to afford child care without help. 2011-02-01
Hunger in New York City
While fewer New York City residents have difficulty affording food than at the peak of the recession, some 37 percent of New Yorkers still found it hard to purchase food in 2010, according to report by the Food Bank for New York City and the Marist College Institute for Pulbic Opinion. "Less Food on the Table," which is an annual opinion poll, found this number represented a sharp increase from 2003. In order to feed their families, some respondents said they have had to reduce food intake, choose between food and other necessities, and go into their savings 2011-01-24
Too Old for Foster Care
Last year more than 1,100 people aged 18 or over left New York's foster care system. While some attend college or have steady jobs, many others are homeless and/or extremely poor. This report by Center for New York City Affair's Child Welfare Watch looks at the problems facing these young New Yorkers and considers recommendations to help those leaving the foster care system live successfully on their own. 2011-01-13
Annual Hunger Survey Report
Demand at the city’s food pantries and soup kitchens increased by 6.8 percent 2010, on top of a 20.8 percent increase in 2009, according to this annual report by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. Despite this, most hungry New Yorkers were able to hang on, due in large part to a massive increase in federal anti-hunger funding. 2010-11-24
Steady Growth in Spending on Homeless Youth
Spending for runaway and homeless youth has more than doubled since 2005 and is budgeted at $12.8 million for the current fiscal year, according to this new Independent Budget Office report. 2010-08-13
Senior Centers to Shutter
The Department for the Aging released the names of the senior centers it could close under the mayor's budget proposal yesterday. Sixteen of them are in Manhattan.
2010-05-11
Following up with HRA
A new follow-up audit from Comptroller John Liu's office found the city Human Resources Administration has implemented nearly all of its previous recommendations from 2005. That 2005 audit found the agency's paperless office system did not meet certain business standards, which it has since remedied.
2010-04-27
Homeless Handshake Contracts
An audit of the Department of Homeless Services by the office of Comptroller John Liu found as of February 2008 the department did not have contracts with 91 of 154 service providers. In fiscal year 2008, the audit found, the department paid $152.7 million to 107 non-contracted providers. It recommends entering into contracts with all service and shelter providers. 2010-03-30
Failing to Weatherize Low-Income Homes
The state has failed to weatherize the vast majority of low-income homes that it received grants to so from the federal government, according to a report by the US Department of Energy's inspector general. The city's hiring freeze has resulted in an inability to build the staff needed for the program, the report states. 2010-03-18
State of the Homeless
A report by Coalition for the Homeless shows that Gov. David Paterson's proposed budget cuts would worsen an already homelessness crisis. The report states that proposed cuts would close shelters and force thousands of homeless New Yorkers from shelters and into the streets. 2010-03-10
Many Adult New Yorkers have No Bank Account
Over 13 percent of citywide households have no bank or credit union account, according to a new study commissioned by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Instead, they use 'fringe' services such as check cashers. Twice as many Bronx residents are 'unbanked,' and over half of adults in the Mott Haven-Melrose area of the Bronx have no account.
2010-02-26
Hunger Increases, So Does Funding
The number of New Yorkers using food pantries and soup kitchens increased by 21 percent, according to a new report from New York City Coalition Against Hunger, but federal stimulus funding staved off many shortages. In the past year, 55 percent of providers didn’t have enough food to meet demand. But in 2008, that number was 69 percent. The city received more than $500 million in funding for food stamp and anti-hunger programs.
2009-11-24
Denials of Public Assistance
The city's Human Resources Administration is often wrong when it denies applications for public benefits or sanctioning low-income clients, according to a new report by the Public Advocate's office. 2009-10-30
Opportunities for Public Housing Residents
This new report by the Pratt Center and the Brooklyn Community Foundation outlines strategies for creating and increasing opportunities for public housing residents to climb out of poverty. 2009-10-29
Homeless Shelters Hit Record
More than 39,000 homeless New Yorkers sleep in the city's shelters each night, according to a recent study by the Coalition for the Homeless. This year is the worst for homelessness since the Great Depression, the study says. 2009-10-22
Poverty in New York
More than 1.5 million New Yorkers -- and 25 percent of all city children -- lived in poverty last year, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. The total is down slightly from 2007, but represents a rise of 126,458 people from the year 2002. The coalition cautioned that the numbers do not reflect the full force of the economic downturn and do not include many homeless people who the Census Bureau did not count. 2009-09-30
Innovation in Asset Building
New York City's Office of Financial Empowerment, a project of the Department of Consumer Affairs issued a report that reviews first year results of a pilot program designed to promote savings among low income and very low income New Yorkers. Participants had an average household income of $15,000, but more than half contributed at least $500 to the savings account provided through the program, which provided matching funds up to $250 to participants who left initial deposits in the bank for a full year. 2009-08-13
Improving the Section 8 Voucher Program
A recent audit by the city comptroller found that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development has improved its Section 8 voucher program since a previous audit in 2005 found deficiencies. But the audit notes the department could still do more. Of the five recommendations in the 2005 audit, the housing department has implemented two and partially implemented three, according to the new report. 2009-08-06
Protecting 9/11 Workers
The annual report by the September 11 Worker Protection Task Force recommends a number of ways the state and city can help protect and monitor the health of 9/11 workers. 2009-07-07
Discharge Funding Up
Since 2005, funding for discharge programs for those in city jails has nearly tripled to more than $14.5 million, according to a new report from the Independent Budget Office. Though the results of these programs have been inconclusive, according to the report, funding has been more than steady. Many of these programs, almost two-thirds of discharge funding, are run through the Mayor's Center for Economic Opportunity. 2009-06-04
We Want to Work: Challenges to Self-Sufficiency in New York City’s Workforce-Development System
Homelessness Outreach and Prevention Project at the Urban Justice Center examined the experiences of public assistance and food stamps clients as they engage in work activities and found that poor New Yorkers often want to work and have appropriate skills and strengths, but are stymied by the Workforce Development System's "work-first" policy, which emphasizes immediate, low-wage jobs. The policy forces clients into short-term, low-skill jobs that fail to help them attain self-sufficiency and does not allow clients to take advantage of their existing skills, experience or training, while clients who are currently enrolled in independent job training programs are forced to drop out of those programs to comply work requirements and receive benefits. 2009-04-01
Hunger Rising
Emergency food providers served 28 percent more people this year than last year, according to an annual survey by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. As a result, 69 percent do not have enough food to meet demand this year. Meanwhile, 72 percent saw a decrease in government funds and food. 2008-11-26
Hunger Increased in 2007
The United States Department of Agriculture reported that 700,000 more Americans couldnąt afford a full and stable supply of food in 2007 than in 2006. The data confirmed that there were 36.2 million Americans including 12 million children who were food-insecure in 2007 even before the current economic slowdown. Over the 2005-2007 time period, the percentage of households in New York State suffering from the greatest hunger increased slightly, from 3.2 to 3.3 percent. 2008-11-18
Back to Work
The city's Back to Work program, which is designed to connect welfare recipients to long-term employment, has not met its goals, according to a new report by Community Voices Heard. The city estimated that a quarter of those enrolled in the program would find jobs, but the report found that only 9 percent of them have. Three-quarters of those who do find jobs lose them within six months, according to the study. 2008-11-14
Supportive Housing and Property Values
Supportive housing - affordable housing that offers on-site social services - does not affect the property values of surrounding homes, according a new report by The Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. Indeed, they found property values rose in the years after construction. The report examined the impacts 7,500 supportive housing units over the course of 20 years. 2008-11-07
Hungry Children
More than 20 percent of New York City children relied on food from soup kitchens and food pantries in 2007, up 48 percent from 2004, according to "Child Hunger," a new report from the Food Bank for New York City. The report faults federal food and other poverty programs for not adequately addressing the need and says the situation is likely to become worse as a result of the current economic crisis. 2008-10-08
Training the Workforce
Federal funding for workforce development has fallen by nearly a third in the last two decades, according to an analysis by the Center for an Urban Future, and New York City has seen a lot of that loss. For one job training program in particular, the city has lost 35 percent of its funding for adult development and 31 percent for youth. While the private sector has stepped in to cover some of the costs, the federal government must assume its role in assuring workers can keep long-term employment, says the report. 2008-09-24
Primary Care Initiative Community Health Assessment
A Primary Care Initiative Community Health Assessment released by the City Council, the Health and Hospitals Corp. and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene highlights 11 communities in the city that face the most significant shortages of primary care services and pinpoints healthcare services that need improvement. 2008-09-23
Aging in New York
Many older New Yorkers find New York City a great place to age because of its public transit, proximity of stores and other amenities, and wealth of activities, according to a new report by the New York Academy of Medicine, the City Council and the Bloomberg administration. However, the report said, these older New Yorkers also face an array of challenges, including age discrimination, the high cost of housing, finding information in their own language and physical access to many places. The number of New Yorkers over 65 is expected to increase by 45 percent by 2030. 2008-09-19
Shelter Denied Too Often
A new report from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum contends the city's Department of Homeless Services may make frequent errors when denying families overnight shelter. The report, which profiles several families that were denied shelter by the city, says of the 278 families that were denied shelter between October 2007 and February 2008, 61 percent were later found eligible. The report recommends the city discontinue the denial of shelter to families who apply again for overnight stay after 5 p.m. 2008-08-06
Senior Centers in Disrepair
New York City Department for the Aging does not properly monitor the physical condition of its senior citizens centers, according to an audit from the Comptroller's office. The audit of 20 senior centers across the city found fire and safety problems, deteriorating and broken bathroom facilities, and unsanitary kitchens that contributed to hazardous conditions. 2008-07-20
Out of School, Out of Work
Approximately 163,000 New Yorkers ages 16 to 24 are out of school and are not in the labor force, according to a recent report by the Community Service Society. Another 47,000 are looking for work but unable to find it. However, the report, "Out of Focus," found that the city has only 12,000 slots to provide education or employment for these so-called "disconnected youth." 2008-07-14
Disability Assistance Program Audit
The Human Resources Administration has not created a formal process for monitoring and evaluating the data submitted by contractors running the Wellness, Comprehensive Assessment, Rehabilitation, and Employment program - which offers services and support to people with disabilities - according to an audit by the city comptroller's office. The city has budgeted $200 million over three years for the program, which is called WeCARE for short, and two-thirds of that is awarded to contractors once they complete certain milestones. The agency agreed to create an evaluation and monitoring process in response to the audit. 2008-07-11
NYC Hunger Experience 2008
The number of New York City residents who experienced difficulty affording needed food for themselves and their families has increased from 2 million in 2003 (25 percent of the New York City population) to 3.1 million in 2007 (38 percent of the New York City population) — a 55 percent increase, according to a report from the Food Bank for New York. 2008-06-17
Repairs At the Housing Authority
An audit of the New York City Housing Authority found that repairs are addressed, but residents can face long waits. The audit, conducted by Comptroller William Thompson’s office, found that repairs involving a particular skill, such as plumbing work, were not completed as promptly as emergency or routine tasks. These skill-oriented repairs were also rarely supervised by a public housing authority employee. 2008-06-09
Bankless NYCHA Residents
A new report by the City Council found approximately 98,000 residents of the New York City Housing Authority are “bankless.” The report, released late last month, found that 24 percent of residents of the city’s public housing do not have a checking or savings account and 53 percent of residents use a check-cashing service. The report urges the mayor’s Center of Economic Opportunity to expand financial education opportunities for these residents. 2008-06-03
How the Economic Downturn Affects the Nonprofit Sector
This presentation from the Fiscal Policy Institute looks at how the economic downturn could affect local nonprofits and offers suggestions for organizations. Some suggestions for navigating the future include: carefully managing costs, maintaining a skilled, dedicated and productive workforce, diversifying funding, and developing a vision of the respective roles of government and the nonprofit sector. 2008-05-06
Growth of 311
Calls to 311 have grown from 1.2 million in 2003 to 14.3 million last year, according to a report by the Independent Budget Office, and spending on the 311 operation grew from $16.9 million to $46.6 million over the same period. The report also found that the number of calls answered within 30 seconds or less fell from 99 percent in 2003 to 63 percent in 2005. This year, however, with a leveling off of annual increases in calls, the call center aims to answer 90 percent of calls within 30 seconds, the budget office reported. 2008-04-18
Increase in Homelessness
More than 9,000 homeless families went to shelters each night in 2007, making it the worst year for family homelessness in recent history, according to the 2007 State of the Homeless Report by the Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group. The report also found that 102,187 different New Yorkers slept in homeless shelters at some point during fiscal years 2007, a 5.8 increase from the previous year and a 23.4 percent increase since FY 2002. The group blamed rising housing costs, the worsening economy and some city policies for the increase. 2008-03-31
Seniors Unaware of Services
A vast majority of the city's seniors are unaware of programs the city offers to help them acquire housing, according to a new report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. In a survey of nearly 1,000 seniors, the report found 84 percent of seniors did not know about shared housing programs and 42 percent said they had unmet needs, including food or housing. The report recommends the city reconsider funding cuts to shared housing programs and initiate a public education campaign to make seniors aware of their options. 2008-03-24
Street Homelessness Declines
For the third consecutive year, the city’s street homeless population has decreased, according to a new survey released yesterday by the city’s Department of Homeless Services. The latest Homeless Outreach Population Estimate reveals the homeless street population has decreased 12 percent from last year and 25 percent since 2005. The city, which conducts the survey every January, credits several initiatives with the drop, including its NYC Street to Home outreach program. 2008-03-05
Advocates in Offices
A new report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and the Brennan Center Strategic Fund argues advocates should be allowed in public benefits offices to provide on-site assistance. The advocates have been banned since the Giuliani administration. The report supports legislation proposed by Gotbaum that was introduced in 2006, which currently has 33 sponsors in the City Council. 2008-02-25
Most Food Stamp Recipients No Longer Also Welfare Recipients
In 2006, 38 percent of food stamp recipients also received public assistance, down from 80 percent in the mid-1990s, according to a report from the Independent Budget Office. The study includes a review of food stamp caseloads over the last 20 years and concludes that in the future “it could prove difficult to enroll a considerable portion of the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are eligible for but do not receive food stamps.” (.pdf format) 2008-01-29
Anti-Poverty Initiatives
As the year ended, the Bloomberg administration issued its report card on the first year of its Center for Economic Opportunity, which has been charged with managing anti-poverty efforts. The report praised the center's working and said it had successfully implemented 31 of 41 proposed programs, including the controversial pilot program to give cash awards to families that meet certain goals, such as making sure their children go to school. 2008-01-02
Hunger Among the Elderly
About a third of elderly New Yorkers surveyed for a recent study said they confront "food insecurity" -- the inability to afford or have access to three nutritious meals a day. This far exceeds the national average of 6 percent. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians are more likely than elderly white New Yorkers to worry about paying for food according to the survey by the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City. The report, "Hunger Hurts: A Study of Hunger Among New York City’s Elderly," offers a number of recommendations to address the problem, including fully funding senior nutrition programs, providing more income supports and opening senior centers seven days a week. 2007-12-14
Hunger in New York
The number of New Yorkers who at times have to rely on soup kitchens and food pantries increased dramatically in 2007, according to the New York Coalition Against Hunger's annual pre-Thanksgiving survey. The coalition estimates that 20 percent more people used such facilities this year, following an 11 percent increase last year. At the same time, food stocks declined, forcing half the programs to ration food. One in six city residents -- about 1.3 million people -- live in households that cannot afford an adequate and consistent supply of food, the report says. 2007-11-21
Public Advocate's Report
The Office of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum has released its 2007 annual report on complaints received by the office's Ombudsman Unit. The office received almost 11,000 complaints last fiscal year. The largest number came from New Yorkers having problems getting social services such as food stamps and Medicaid. 2007-11-07
Hungry New Yorkers
About 1.3 million people in the city use emergency food programs like food pantries and soup kitchens, according to a new report by Food Bank NYC. That number is up 24 percent from three years ago and includes 397,000 children and 154,000 elderly adults. 21 percent of them are working adults and 24 percent have a college level education. At the same time, the report found, service providers are working with increasingly strained budgets, chiefly due to a cut-back in federal funds. This has led to a loss of about 12 million pounds in food available and a reduction in staff. 2007-10-19
Lack of Insurance Barrier to Economic Mobility
"More than 2.7 million of New York’s 19 million residents do not have health insurance. The lack of health insurance is a major barrier for the 1.7 million people in poverty in New York City," says the Community Service Society. The group supports extending state subsidized care to insure those who cannot afford it. 2007-09-14
Supporting Needy Families
According to a report from the Center for Urban Justice and the Center for New York City Affairs, the city has seen an increase in abuse and neglect reports within its family support system and a 53 percent surge in children placed in foster care from 2005 to 2006. While the report recognizes city funding has increased by more than $70 million annually to family support programs, it also points to the rising need for such programs – a development that leaves many nonprofits and agencies operating “at or above their city-funded capacity.” To ensure proper care and an accessible support system, the report recommends providing aftercare services for children leaving foster care and implementing performance measures for agencies the city is providing funding to, among other suggestions. 2007-07-26
Working for Welfare
New federal regulations for welfare recipients could cost the city more than $200 million this year, according to a report by the city’s Independent Budget Office. The city failed to meet its quota after the first quarter under the new regulations, which requires more participants be involved in work-related activities. If the trend continues, the city could be in store for penalties. Even if it can meet the more stringent work quotas, unanticipated costs could arise from childcare for families that are entering the work force. 2007-07-05
The Cost of Domestic Violence
While it is impossible to calculate the cost of domestic violence to a single victim, a report released this week by the Independent Budget Office dissects the cost of domestic violence to the city, estimated at $227 million in 2005. Nearly 80 percent of that funding went toward emergency services and protective services for children. The smallest portion of funding was directed at long-term services, including housing. The Independent Budget Office concluded that more than $227 million was likely spent, because it could not isolate all of the funds that contribute to fighting domestic violence. 2007-06-21
Job Assistance Programs
The city Human Resources Administration needs to exert more control over job programs for New Yorkers on public assistance, according to an audit by City Comptroller William Thompson. The report found that the city agency did not conduct enough visits to the private contractors providing work assistance and “did not have adequate controls in place to ensure that payments made to vendors were valid, accurate, and properly approved.” 2007-06-20
Cost of Hunger in NYC
New York City pays an estimated $2.65 billion per year due to health care spending, reduced productivity, and other spending caused by the fact that 1.3 million city residents are forced to live in households that cannot afford enough food, according to new data from the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. The cost to each city resident is $335 per year. 2007-06-08
Food Stamps in New York
Roughly 1.8 million New Yorkers rely on food stamps to help them purchase a nutritionally adequate diet.
A new report by The Fiscal Policy shows that food stamps are worth only about $1.16 per person per meal for the average New Yorker. And because they don’t keep up with the cost of living, the amount of food they can purchase is steadily declining. 2007-05-17
Immigrant Access to the Food Stamp Program
One fourth of those eligible for food stamps but not participating in the Food Stamp Program are immigrants, according to FoodChange’s Immigrant Access to the Food Stamp Program report. Due to this lack of food stamp participation, New York City forgoes $646 million every year in federal funds. While hunger and food insecurity are widespread among New York City’s immigrant populations, the highest concentrations of eligible but not participating immigrants reside in Queens and Brooklyn. 2007-04-02
A Thousand Cuts: Workforce Development Funding
A report by the Center for an Urban Future tracks the decline in funding for workforce development, programs designed to help students, jobseekers and workers gain new credentials and skills. The study follows cuts in 28 active funding streams, administered by 11 different agencies within state or federal government. The report (in pdf format) concludes that "New Yorkers do not derive as much value as we could from these investments" because of a lack of attention and coordination of efforts. 2007-03-27
HPV Vaccine Availability
This report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum finds the health department offering few vaccines against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, even though the federal Centers for Disease Control recommends vaccinations for females ages 11 to 26), and the virus is responsible for 70 percent of the cases of cervical cancer. None of the department of health’s 11 walk-in clinics for sexually transmitted diseases, for example, were found to offer the vaccine. 2007-03-20
Attitudes Towards The Homeless
New Yorkers care about the homeless, according to this report by Public Agenda, based on focus groups in all five boroughs and a city-wide telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults. Eighty-five percent approved of having their tax dollars pay for housing for the homeless. On the other hand, 76 percent believed that lack of motivation was one reason some people were homeless, while half believed there were jobs for anybody who really wanted to work. Only 54 percent believe that homelessness can be completely eliminated in New York. 2007-03-13
Is The City Ending Chronic Homelessness?
The number of homeless families living in shelters reached a record high last month despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s high-profile campaign to reduce chronic homelessness, according to this report by advocacy group Coalition for the Homeless. 9,287 families stayed in shelters in February, the highest number since records began being kept in 1979, and a 17.6 percent rise from February 2005. 2007-03-08
Failure to Comply: The Disconnect between Design and Implementation in HRA’s WeCARE Program
Research Report from Community Voices Heard finds implementation failures in the New York welfare system’s $200 million Wellness, Comprehensive Assessment, Rehabilitation and Employment (WeCARE) program. 2007-03-05
Youth Unemployment
Despite “the lowest unemployment rate in recent memory,” only slightly more than one-third of 16 to 24 year old city residents were holding a job in 2006, down from 44 percent in 2000, according to "Unemployment and Joblessness in New York City, 2006: Recovery Bypasses Youth", a report by the Community Service Society. By contrast, there has been a dramatic rise in jobholding among New Yorkers over the age of 55. The report makes several recommendations, including an earned income tax credit for youth, an increase in “apprentice opportunities,” and a one-time fund to give to employers “who agree to establish recruitment and training programs” to “out of school youth” and others most in need. 2007-02-27
Delivering City Services
The administration has released its 2007 preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, which provides statistics on the delivery of city services during the first four months of the fiscal year. According to the mayor, the figures “demonstrate that we are continuing to build on five years of successful policies and are moving the city in the right direction." Among the findings: homicides decreased slightly; streets are cleaner than ever; calls to the city’s 311 hot lines for non-emergencies increased by 7 percent; and the number of families entering the homeless shelter system rose. Most press accounts, however, focused on the 21 percent increase in major felonies in public schools. Much of that rise was in thefts of valuable items, such as laptop computers. 2007-02-16
Out-of-School Time
The city's Department of Youth and Community Development assesses its Out of School Time effort, which provides funding for after school programs, in this report. The department awarded $44 million to 528 after-school programs last year. This report looks at these programs, the demographic profile of those served by them, and the "social development outcomes" of the youth involved. 2007-02-15
Helping Troubled Teens
Over the past several years, the New York City government has instituted programs aimed at helping troubled teens and their families. While some young people have benefited, the city’s efforts have failed to reach many others, according to this report, “There’s No Such Place,” by the Center for New York City Affairs at the New School. As evidence, the report notes that the number of teenagers under age 16 arrested and the number of foster care placements due to juvenile delinquency have increased sharply. The report includes information on the current programs, some of it compiled from interviews with teens and parents, as well as recommendations. 2007-01-17
Protecting Adults
Adult Protective Services, a division of the city’s Human Resources Administration charged with caring for mentally and physically impaired New Yorkers over the age of 18 who cannot care for themselves, does a poor job of it, according to a report by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. A single case worker can be assigned 81 cases (the recommended caseload is 25). Among the report’s recommendations are smaller caseloads, better training, better equipment, and the creation of separate units to provide home care services, one for the mentally ill and another for the elderly. 2007-01-12
Job Placement Services For Working Poor
Council Member Gale A. Brewer released a report analyzing the City’s Workforce 1 System. In its final report, released on September 18th, 2006, the Mayor’s Commission on Economic Opportunity described the current system of job-finding and job-training programs being run by the city government as “fragmented.” City agencies were asked to turn the Commission’s recommendations into an action plan within 60 days. The purpose of this new report by Council Member Brewer’s office is to supplement the Commission’s work by making recommendations on how to integrate and expand the workforce development system to better serve the working poor – those who are working, but barely “making ends meet.” 2006-10-26
Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club
The New York City Department of Investigation details in this report the story of the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx, which, led by then-executive director Charles Rosen, stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the public, and improperly lent $875,000 to what became Air America, among other improprieties, frauds and crimes. See also article on Rosen in the New York Times, Bronx Odyssey: From Rebel to Executive to Felon 2006-10-10
Access-A-Ride's High Cost
The cost of running Access-A-Ride, the transit authority's door-to-door transportation service for the city's disabled, more than doubled from 2000 to 2005 and is now one of the agency's fastest-growing expenses (though still a comparatively small portion of the total budget), according to this report by the Independent Budget Office. 2006-10-06
Poverty in New York 2005
Over ten percent of New York City families with children are living in poverty even though at least one member of the family works full time, according to Poverty in New York City 2005, an annual report by the Community Service Society. Earnings for those on the lower rung of the pay scale have fallen by 14.3 percent since the end of the 1990s, according to the report, and about one-third of the city's children live in poverty. 2006-09-28
The Poverty Report
This report by the Mayor’s Commission for Economic Opportunity, officially entitled "Increasing Opportunity and Reducing Poverty In New York City," includes a “snapshot” of poverty in the city – over 1.5 million New Yorkers (“almost three times the entire population of Boston”) live below the poverty line; many of the poor are children; many poor adults are employed, etc. – and a set of recommendations focused on three groups: young adults 16 to 24, children under six, and the working poor. 2006-09-19
Hunger Hotline
New York City Hunger Hotline (1-866-888-8777), a service meant to provide hungry New Yorkers with the information they need in order to access food at soup kitchens and food pantries, remains inaccurate and insufficient, according to this report by the Office of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. The hotline was staffed by live operators before it was taken over in April, 2003 by the city’s Human Resources Administration, which turned it into an automated service. The report recommends live service be restored during business hours. 2006-08-24
AIDS Services: Inequitable?
A $471 million contract to provide services to New Yorkers with AIDS has done so "in an inequitable fashion...financially and geographically disproportionate to the number of individuals across the city who have been affected,” City Comptroller William Thompson charges in an analysis presented in the form of a letter to Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. For example, no subcontracts for "supportive counseling and family stabilization services" were awarded in Brooklyn or Queens, even though together they have about 38 percent of the AIDS/HIV cases. 2006-05-02
Incarcerated Mothers and Child Welfare
The mothers of about 11,000 children in New York State are currently incarcerated. These women often lose legal custody of their children. "profoundly distrupt[ing] family relations", says this report by the Correctional Association of New York. It makes recommendations for improving the ways that the child welfare and corrections agencies confront this challenge. 2006-04-14
Strain on Working Families
Over a quarter of New York State’s working families earn less than twice the national poverty standard, this report from the Center for an Urban Future finds. In New York’s economy, job growth has been concentrated in low-income fields, while better-paying fields lose jobs and housing costs increase. New York should focus its energy on making it easier for its residents to develop the skills needed for higher paying jobs, in order to make the state more attractive to these industries, the report concludes. 2006-03-24
Child Protection
This year's "New York State Citizen Review Panels for Child Protective Services Annual Report and Recommendations" recommends increasing state funding, passing legislation that would limit the number of cases a worker can oversee, and widening investigations of child deaths. 2006-02-16
Health And Death Among The Homeless
Homeless men are more than twice as likely to die of cancer than adult New Yorkers as a whole, twice as likely to have AIDS, are hospitalized disproportionately, and are 11 times more likely to have tuberculosis. These are some of the findings in "The Health of Homeless Adults In New York City," a report from the New York City Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and of Homeless Services, which includes recommendations to improve the health of the homeless (defined as those who have spent at least one day in a shelter). 2006-01-31
Early Intervention For Developmental Disabilities
The Statewide Early Intervention Program provides services to all families of children under the age of 3 with developmental disabilities. Although it is a federally mandated program, much of the spending comes from the city and state budgets. Spending for the program has grown rapidly in recent years, according to this report by the Independent Budget Office, driven not only by an increase in the number of participants but also by higher costs for the services provided. 2006-01-30
Access to Food Stamps
Over three-quarters of a million New Yorkers are eligible for food stamps but not receiving them because of a flawed application process, claims the Urban Justice Center in this report. This is putting a burden on some of New York's most vulnerable citizens, the center says, and costing the city billions of dollars in federal aid. It recommends extending office hours, and allowing more clients to conduct application interviews by phone. 2006-01-27
Food Stamp Foibles
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who are eligible for food stamps are not receiving them, according to a report by the City Council called “Empty Cupboards.” More than half of those eligible receive the federal benefit. That gap also means the city is losing out on up to $1.25 billion in federal funds for food stamp programs each year. Barriers to enrollment include unavailability of information about the benefit and delays in receiving applications. The report includes recommendations on how to ease hunger in the city by making it easier for qualified applicants to sign up. 2006-01-19
Child Care
The city's system of subsidized child care has grown in enrollment and in the amount the city spends on it, while at the same time federal and state funding for it is being reduced, according to a report by the Independent Budget Office. 2005-12-30
Conditions at Homeless Shelter
An audit by City Comptroller William Thompson has found “horrible conditions” at a Queen homeless shelter run by the Salvation Army under a contract with the city Department of Homeless Services. According to Thompson, auditors investigating conditions at the Carlton House Shelter in South Ozone Park found “roach infestation, water damaged walls and ceilings, peeling paint, stained and frayed carpets, leaking sinks and bathtub faucets, damaged appliances, and broken cabinets and doors.” The audit also faulted the Salvation Army’s fiscal management of the shelter. 2005-11-30
Progress Report: The Mayor's Social Services Streamlining Plan
Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed an overhaul of the delivery and funding of certain social services in April 2003. This report by the Independent Budget Office finds that some of the largest components of the plan had not been implemented by the end of 2004, and that only $16 million had been saved by measures originally included in the plan. 2005-10-28
Violations In Subsidized Housing
One quarter of buildings that receive rent subsidies from the city Department of Homeless Services and the Human Resources Administration have been cited by another city agency for serious violations, such as no heat and rat infestations, according to "Your Taxpayers at Work: How NYC Subsidizes Slumlords," a new report by Housing Here and Now, a tenant advocacy group. The landlords receive the city money to house homeless people and AIDS patients. 2005-10-19
Wages Fall for Poorest New Yorkers
Although the city's economy and job market have improved in recent years, annual earnings and hourly wages for the city's poorest residents fell by five percent, according to a report by Community Service Society. One-in-five New Yorkers live below the federal poverty level. 2005-09-15
Child Welfare Watch
The number of children being placed in foster care is at its lowest level in decades, according to this report by the New School's Milano Center for New York City Affairs, and the total number of children in foster care is approaching levels it hasn't seen since the crack epidemic sent the size of the system soaring. This report also looks at some city programs that aid families at risk of losing their children to foster care and those who have recently gotten their children back. 2005-09-02
City's AIDS Services Caseload Growth Slows
Changing trends in the AIDS epidemic have translated into an AIDS services caseload that, while it still gets larger year by year, is growing at a slower rate, according to this report from the Independent Budget Office. The slower growth in the caseload, however, has not resulted in a corresponding slowdown in the growth rate for expenditures for such services. 2005-08-12
Teen Dating Violence
The Department of Education is not adequately addressing domestic violence faced by students, particularly teenage girls, according to a report released yesterday by the public advocate, Betsy Gotbaum. Although about 10 percent of victims of domestic violence treated in hospitals are under the age of 20, the report says, the school system has inadequate policies for tracking such violence nor coordinating a response. Among its recommendations are better teacher training, and the ability to transfer the batterer to another school. 2005-07-19
Preventing Homelessness
The city has taken important steps to prevent homelessness and has stemmed the increase in families entering the shelter system, says a new report by the Center for New York City Affairs at New School University’s Milano School. But, the report continues, if New York wants to further reduce homelessness, it must make a greater effort to identify and help those families living in overcrowded housing situations who could otherwise end up needing emergency shelter. 2005-07-06
Food Stamp Delay
The City's Human Resources Administration has a “15-day timeframe” to decide whether somebody is eligible for food stamps, even though New York State law requires that such decisions be made within 10 days, according to the Office of City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. 2005-07-01
Paperless Welfare
After seven years and more than $47 million, the Human Resources Administration's automated system for handling applications for public assistance is still not complete, according to an audit by Comptroller William Thompson. The so-called paperless office system was intended to make it easier to determine eligibility for welfare programs. The HRA has disputed Thompson's findings. 2005-05-04
Aging in the Shadows: Social Isolation Among Seniors In New York City
This report by United Neighborhood Houses of New York finds that the city's 1.3 million seniors are more at risk for living and dying alonethan their counterparts elsewhere in the country. (About a third of all elderly in New York City live alone; about half do in Harlem and in Midtown.) The report also describes some model programs that are addressing the needs of the elderly read the entire report (in pdf format). 2005-05-03
The Case for Redesigning Retirement Benefits for New York's Public Employees
Mega-retirement packages for New York City and state employees now far outpace those offered by many large private companies — and taxpayers are stuck with the "excessive" bills, according to a new report by the Citizens Budget Commission. The "exceptionally generous" pension and health-insurance payments for retirees — once offered to offset low public-sector wages — are no longer needed because government salaries are more than adequate. 2005-05-02
MEDICAID WATCH 2005
In this nine-part report, business group the Public Policy Institute of New York State looks at various questions surrounding the current state of Medicaid in the state: Where does taxpayer money for Medicaid go? What do other states do differently? Will Albany move to reform the system? 2005-04-18
Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for Fiscal Year 2005
The Preliminary Mayor's Management Report for Fiscal Year 2005, according to City Hall, "provides an early update of how the City is performing four months into the fiscal year," offering "performance highlights and statistics for agencies, as well as data on inquiries received by the 311 Citizen Service Center."
Also, Search by agency 2005-02-15
Welfare Reform And Child Poverty
A Manhattan Institute report finds that welfare reform may be responsible for as much as half of the decline in child poverty among black and Hispanic households headed by single mothers. 2004-12-23
Managing the Transformation of Child Welfare in NYC
New York City’s child welfare has managed to keep more children with their own families instead of sending them to foster care, and has managed to save a lot of money doing so, this report by the Center for an Urban Future and the Milano Graduate School finds. But there is still much room for improvement in preventative family services that keep stable families together. 2004-12-14
