"The year 2011 will go down in the history of our sector as the year in which most of us woke up to the permanent nature of the new reality: government shifts away from support for people in need and the human services designed to help them. Many of us, including me, wanted to believe that once the recession ended and once the economy began to right itself we would see a return to the time when nonprofit services and help for the have-nots were again among our top priorities. Sadly, this is not what we saw. Despite some victories in the last budget season on the City and State levels – like City child care restorations that saved thousands of slots for low-income families and State withdrawal of a Title XX proposal that would have shuttered 100 senior centers in the City – the overall approach of both levels of government seems to have been to look at cuts to human services to solve deficit problems rather than looking to revenue solutions. I fear that this remains the approach as we enter 2012 and governments at all levels continue to grapple with rising deficits. This nation’s historical commitment to preserving a social safety net – particularly potent and effective in New York City and State over decades – seems to be dramatically shifting before our eyes."
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