For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2024
Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@actumllc.com
Emma Brodsky, ebrodsky@actumllc.com
IN WAKE OF THREATS OF NYC BUDGET CUTS, NYC COMPTROLLER BRAD LANDER JOINS ANTI-POVERTY NONPROFIT FPWA TO HIGHLIGHT IMPACTS ON HUMAN SERVICES
FPWA to Unveil New York City Funding Tracker, Host a Panel of Special Guests in Government & Nonprofits
**RSVP here**
New York, NY (January 25, 2024) — FPWA, a leading anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization, will host an event on January 30 to shed light on the city’s budget priorities and the fiscal state of the human services sector. The event, titled Beyond Numbers: Empowering Human Services Through Fiscal Transparency, will feature a fireside chat between the Honorable NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of FPWA.
Comptroller Lander will engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of FPWA. Lander, known for his steadfast commitment to budget transparency and equitable compensation for the human services sector, brings a crucial perspective to the event.
This event comes on the heels of the recently released State and City Executive Budgets which confirmed that previously announced budget cuts were excessive given the state of the city’s finances.
Comptroller Lander and FPWA have both sounded the alarm on the risks of these cuts to the wellbeing of all New Yorkers, especially on the city’s populations who have been made vulnerable.
FPWA will debut its new NYC Funds Tracker, a cutting-edge public advocacy data tool designed to enhance transparency and understanding of New York City’s budget process. This interactive tool is poised to empower both policymakers and community members, offering a comprehensive examination of the city’s revenue streams and expenditure decisions. The Funds Tracker reveals that human service agencies have not received their fair share of funding over the past twelve years, despite revenue and expenditure increasing by 22.8% and 25.6%, respectively, over this same period.
“Fiscal transparency and making government data more publicly accessible are top priorities for my administration,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “FPWA’s new NYC Funds Tracker interactive dashboard – using data collected from the NYC Comptroller’s Checkbook platform – is another resource that pulls back the veil of secrecy around New York City’s revenue sources and expenditures while shining a light on the human services sector that fuels so many City agencies.”
“The NYC Funds Tracker makes the government budgets and their impact on New Yorkers experiencing hardship more easily understood. It’s a user-friendly data tool that demystifies the budget as it relates to human services in New York City, and thereby brings power into the hands of advocates, policymakers, and citizens. Over the last 12 years, federal and state grants to our city’s human services agencies have declined (decreasing 6.9% and 23% respectively), despite increasing need in New York City. That’s $1.5 billion lost in real terms. That’s less money for mental health care, children’s services, family supports, and low-income seniors. This tool helps us fight for more equitable, and just budgeting, to help that every New Yorker can live securely and with dignity,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director, FPWA.
Beyond Numbers will also feature a dynamic panel of budget and economic equity leaders across the government and nonprofit sectors to discuss these latest cuts and the best path forward.
**RSVP here**
WHO:
Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller
Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Louisa Chafee, Director, NYC Independent Budget Office
David Greenberg, Deputy Director, NYC Office of Management and Budget
Chai Jindasurat-Yasui, VP of Policy, Nonprofit New York
Raysa S. Rodriguez, Chief Program and Policy Officer, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA)
Sharon Sewell-Fairman, President & CEO, Women Creating Change
WHERE:
FPWA Conference Center
40 Broad Street
5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
WHEN:
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
9am-12:30pm
About FPWA
FPWA is a leading, anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening human services organizations and faith institutions, and advancing economic opportunity and justice for New Yorkers with low incomes. Since 1922, FPWA has driven groundbreaking policy reforms to better serve those in need. We work to dismantle the systemic barriers that impede economic security and well-being, and strengthen the capacity of human services agencies and faith organizations so New Yorkers with lower incomes can thrive and live with dignity.
Find out more at fpwa.org, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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