PressRelease
May7,2012
Contacts
AllisonSesso,[email protected],212‐836‐1127
ShanaMosher,[email protected],212‐836‐1125
JamesParrott,[email protected],212‐721‐5624
JoBrill,[email protected],914‐671‐9442
Newreports
HSC:InvestinginHumanCapital:HowInvestmentsinHumanServicesSupportaStrong
Economy‐http://www.whocares‐ido.org/mediaAttachments/HSC_JobSupportsFinalReport_5‐3‐
12.pdf
FPI:HelpingtheHelpersWillHelpUsAll:TheEconomicSituationofNewYorkCity’sHealth
CareandSocialAssistanceSector‐http://fiscalpolicy.org/nonprofits.html
TWONEWREPORTSSHOWHOWHUMANSERVICESNONPROFITS
SUPPORTEMPLOYMENTANDHELPNEWYORK’SECONOMY
NEW YORK, May 7, 2012 – A new report released today by the Human Services Council of New
York(HSC),InvestinginHumanCapital:HowInvestmentsinHumanServicesSupportaStrong
Economy,showshowhumanservicessuchaschildcareandyouthservices,seniorservices,and
nutritionprogramsremovebarrierstoemploymentandmakeitpossibleforpeopletoremainin
theworkforce.
Asthemostrecentunemploymentfiguresshow,manyNewYorkersarestilloutofjobs.As
unemploymentinNewYorkhoversat10percent,theneedforhumanservicescontinuesto
increase.“Fartoomanyindividualsandfamiliesrelyonprogramslikechildcare,afterschool
programs,seniorservicesandfoodpantriestohelpprovidejobsecurity,”saidMichaelStoller,
ExecutiveDirectorofHSC.“Withouttheseservices,workingpeopleoftenfindthemselvesfaced
withano‐winsituationthatforcesthemtoleavetheworkforce.”
Alsotoday,theFiscalPolicyInstitute(FPI)releasedanupdatetotheir2009reportonNewYork
City’snonprofitsector.Thenewreport,HelpingtheHelpersWillHelpUsAll:TheEconomic
SituationofNewYorkCity’sHealthCareandSocialAssistanceSector,providesaprofileofthe
city’snonprofitsectorandpresentsdataaboutthelocaleconomythatshowstheincreasedneed
fornonprofitservices.
‐more‐
TwoNewReports:HumanServicesNonprofitsandtheNYCEconomy
2
“TheNewYorkCityhealthcareandsocialassistancesectorisbyfarthelargestemployerinthe
city’sprivateeconomy,”saidJamesParrott,PhD,DeputyDirectorandChiefEconomistofFPI.“The
humanservicessectorinNewYorkCityisnotonlyajobcreatorbutajobsupporterandcannot
withstandadditionalcutsifthecitywantstoseecontinuedeconomicgrowth.”
TheHSCreportpointsoutthathumanserviceshavebeenabridgeoutofpovertyformillionsof
NewYorkersformanyyears.Notonlydotheseservicesreducetheeffectsofpoverty,buttheyalso
providepathsandsupportstoemployment,preventingpeoplefromfallingintopovertyinthefirst
place.InNewYorkCityMayorMichaelBloomberg’sExecutiveBudget,releasedlastweek,the
humanservicessectorisfacinganother$175millionincuts.“NewYorkershaveenduredtoo
manycontinuousyearsofdebilitatingcutsthathavethreatenednotonlyhumanserviceprograms,
buttheonecriticalcomponentofkeepingpeopleabovethepovertyline—employment,”saidNew
YorkCityCouncilGeneralWelfareCommitteeChairAnnabelPalma.“IapplaudHSCformakingthe
criticalconnectionbetweentheimportanceofhumanservicestoourcommunitiesandthe
continuedeconomicsuccessofNewYorkCity.”
AccordingtotheHSCreport,whenparentshaveaccesstosubsidizedorlow‐costchildcare,they
are82percentmorelikelytostayemployed.Manyworkingfamiliesalsorelyonseniorservicesto
careforelderlyparents:thereportcitesstudiesshowingthat29percentoffamilycaregivers
nationallyhavehadtoquittheirjobsoradjusttheirworkhourstocareforanelderlyfamily
member.
TheFPIreportshowsthatthecity’snonprofithealthcareandsocialassistanceemploys480,000
people,oneofeverysevenprivatesectorworkers.Overthepastfouryearsasthecityandnation
havegrappledwithrecessionandaweakrecovery,thesectoradded31,400jobswhiletherestof
thecity’sprivateeconomygainedonly1,700.Oftheworkersinthissector,80percentarefemale,
80percentareblack,LatinaorAsian,andmorethanhalfhaveattendedacollege.
ThedemandforhumanserviceshasincreasedinthewakeoftheGreatRecession.TheFPIreport
alsodetailsthehardshipsfacingNewYorkers.Many—hundredsofthousands—areunemployedin
thisthirdyearofaveryweakrecovery.Thecity’spovertyratehasjumpedto21percent.
Recession‐relatedjoblossesandwagereductionshavehitlow‐incomecityfamilieswithchildren
especiallyhard,erodingtheirincomesby12to22percent.Perhapsthemosttellingindicatorof
heightenedeconomichardshipsincetherecessionbeganisthetwo‐thirdsincreaseinthenumber
ofNewYorkCityresidentsreceivingfoodstamps.
TheHumanServicesCouncil(HSC)isthevoiceofthehumanservicescommunityinNewYork.
ItrepresentsthousandsofNewYorknot‐for‐profitorganizationsandadvocatesfortheneedsof
thehumanservicessectorasawhole.FormoreinformationabouttheHumanServicesCouncil
andits“WhoCares?IDo.”campaign,visitwww.humanservicescouncil.organdwww.WhoCares‐
IDo.org.FollowthecampaignonTwitter:@WhoCares_IDoandFacebook:WhoCares?IDo.
TheFiscalPolicyInstitute(FPI)isanindependent,nonpartisan,nonprofitresearchand
educationorganizationcommittedtoimprovingpublicpoliciesandprivatepracticestobetterthe
economicandsocialconditionsofallNewYorkers.Foundedin1991,FPIworkstocreateastrong
economyinwhichprosperityisbroadlyshared.FPI’sreportsareavailableat
www.fiscalpolicy.org.
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