Bloomberg's State of the City Address

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copied from the New York Nonprofit Press: http://www.nynp.biz/

Mayor Bloomberg’s 2011 State of the City address yesterday stressed the difficult fiscal challenges New York faces, but also highlighted a number of issues and programs of interest to nonprofit human service providers.

“Over the past three years, we’ve cut spending nine different times for a total of $5 billion, including $1.6 billion cuts this year,” the mayor said. “Those cuts are our hardest yet because the impact will be more severe as ever as you get down the chain…However, we still face multi-billion dollar deficits for years to come. And we’ve got to realize, there is no magic wand to make them disappear. There is no rabbit left to pull out of the hat. And there is no windfall coming from Albany or Washington this year. There is only us. Our resolve. Our courage. And our commitment to the fiscal discipline we have shown over the past nine years."

Bloomberg rejected two approaches to addressing the deficit: stop investing in our future or raise taxes. "So let me be clear: we will not raise taxes to balance the budget," he said. “Instead, we will choose a third approach – a smarter approach. An approach that respects the short-term needs of taxpayers, and protects the long-term prospects for our economy. We will grow our way out of these tough times by shrinking the costs of government.”

Exactly what that strategy means for nonprofits which provide human services with city funding will only become clear over the next few months as the Mayor proposes his Executive Budget for FY2011-12.

The Mayor did highlight a number of issues and programs of interest to human service providers.

“The biggest single step we can take to promote innovation in New York City, and across this country, is to fix our broken immigration system. It’s not only hurting national security, it’s the most ruinous economic policy you could ever conceive of. It’s destroying American jobs every single day. We’ve got to change it.”

“To help connect growing businesses to the employers they need, we’re going to expand our Workforce One Career Centers,” he continued. “Last year, as tough as the economy was, our Workforce One centers connected New Yorkers to more than 30,000 jobs – compared to only 500 back in 2005… This year, we’re increasing our goal from 30,000 job placements to 35,000... We’re also setting the goal of placing 10,000 more welfare recipients into jobs – going from 75,000 last year, which was a record, to 85,000 this year”

To address truancy, the Mayor said that the City would “double the number of volunteer school mentors who are currently helping over 2,000 students overcome chronic absenteeism.

“We also know that summer jobs lead to high school graduation and college, and so this year, we’ll make up for cuts in Federal funding to summer youth employment by raising private money that will put thousands of young New Yorkers into jobs that can change their lives forever,” the Mayor continued.

“And as part of our Fatherhood Initiative, we’ll construct three new family centers on Rikers Island to provide incarcerated fathers more opportunity to spend time with their visiting children, so that their time apart does not become a lifetime, and hopefully that connection will also impart some tough life lessons to those kids.

“We can’t keep every young person out of trouble," he continued, "but we can do more to get them back on track. This year, we’ll work with the judiciary and the Center for Court Innovation to develop a Youth Justice Center that will handle delinquency and criminal cases for young people up to the age of 21, engaging the community in preventing crimes. Prevention makes so much more sense than having to go after bad guys.

“We will also work with Governor Cuomo and our partners in Albany to overhaul the State’s juvenile detention system so we can keep more young offenders in supervised, secure programs close to their homes and families instead of hundreds of miles away upstate. We know we can do a better job of helping young offenders turn away from a life of crime, and if Albany will allow us, we will.

“This year, we'll also conduct a pilot program to bring more mental health services right into jails, as a way to help inmates with mental illness and reduce violence among them.”

Finally, the Mayor noted that the City was forming a new Domestic Violence Rapid Response Team on Staten Island – where he was giving the speech.

The Mayor drew praise from several human service advocates for his comments.

“Citizens' Committee for Children of New York (CCC) is pleased that Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City Address clearly stated his commitment to investments in truancy prevention and summer youth employment, as well his desire to work with the state to reform the juvenile justice system in a way that ensures youth are served in their families or communities,” said CCC’s Executive Director Jennifer March Joly. “We look forward to working with Mayor Bloomberg on these priorities. In addition, we are hopeful that the Mayor's upcoming Preliminary Budget will reflect our shared priorities of keeping New York City's children healthy, housed, educated and safe by protecting investments in programs that positively impact child well-being, such as child care, child abuse and neglect prevention programs, after school programs, child health clinics, and mental health services for children and adolescents.”

“Mayor Bloomberg is correct in his statement that ‘progress is not inevitable—it’s up to us to create it,’ and it’s important to remember the role that not-for-profits play in creating that progress for residents of disadvantaged communities in New York,” said Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Joseph Patuleia. “As the ‘Education Mayor,’ Mr. Bloomberg underscored his commitment to strengthening schools by lowering truancy and emphasizing the role of positive mentors in shaping the lives of students. It’s my hope that members of the New York City Council likewise recognize that the key to creating new jobs and better futures tomorrow is by making sure this city’s next generation is able to achieve its full potential today.”

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