Friend

Staying informed is key to driving change. UNH has launched a new newsletter, Advocates’ Corner, to share policy insights, highlight pressing issues in the news, and equip you with the knowledge to advocate alongside us. We need your voice!

Thank you for being a vital part of the settlement house movement. We look forward to sharing these updates and working together to speak out for the programs and services New Yorkers deserve. Please reach out to share you feedback. You can submit requests for specific topics by emailing Nick Peters.

Best,  

Susan

The Rundown

“Stroller Brigade” for 2-Care

UNH partnered with New Yorkers United For Child Care to host a “stroller brigade” that called on Mayor Adams to expand universal preschool to two years olds in a new city wide campaign called 2-Care. We were joined by parents and children, elected officials, and partner organizations, all calling for child care for two year olds.

The launch was covered by 1010 Wins, Chalkbeat, and New York Daily News.

Releasing UNH’s State Budget Priorities

UNH staff work tirelessly to advocate for the needs of the settlement house movement, both in the city and state legislatures. With the start of a new year and a new State Legislative session, UNH has released our updated state budget priorities, including funding the Settlement House Program, supporting early childhood education, and addressing chronic low wages among human services workers across New York State. 

Read our full list of budget priorities here.

The Governor released her executive budget on Tuesday, January 21st. Next, the NYS Legislature will hold hearings to deliberate and identify their funding priorities. UNH will prepare and deliver testimonies at these hearings and meet with legislators and appointed officials to lift up settlement house budget priorities. UNH is already planning on being in attendance for the Human Services budget hearing on February 12th. The Legislature has until April 1st to negotiate with the Governor and adopt next year’s budget for the start of the new fiscal year, and will release one-house budgets with their priorities before then.

UNH’s Reaction to Mayor’s Preliminary Budget

UNH is concerned at the number of existing programs that were not included in Mayor Adams’  Preliminary Budget proposal. Read UNH’s full statement on the Mayor’s preliminary budget here. 

Now that the Mayor released his budget, the NYC council will hold budget hearings to discuss the different contents of it. The Mayor will then release his executive budget, which is followed by another round of budget hearings. The City Council must adopt a new budget by July 1st, the start of the new fiscal year. In our February email, we will discuss the budget further and share more about advocacy and testimony opportunities.

New York City Discretionary Funding, Applications Due 2/19

Discretionary funding applications are open, with a deadline of Wednesday, February 19th. What is discretionary funding? In New York City, discretionary funding refers to money allocated by the City Council that individual council members can designate for specific programs, nonprofits, or community initiatives within their districts. 

Eligible organizations can apply here. Additionally, make sure to check with your local Council Member to see if they have a supplemental application.

Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities

Here are some interesting upcoming advocacy opportunities that you may be interested in, from our colleague organizations: 

Child Care Advocacy Day (Empire State Campaign for Child Care) - January 28 

Age Strong NYS Advocacy Day (LiveOn NY) - February 11

Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day (Feeding NYS) - February 25 

Human Services Advocacy Day (Human Services Council) - March 10

What We Are Reading

New York City has decided to end leases for five early childhood programs which leaves many families in trouble, as covered by Gothamist.

Julia Jean-Francois, Co-Executive Director from the Center for Family Life, along with other CEOs authored an op-ed published in the Daily News discussing the interconnected importance of child safety and providing support to families.

The New York Times asked New Yorkers how to address the affordability crisis our city is facing, and generated forty ideas from it, including creating twenty-four hour child care centers for essential workers.

$112 million allocated for 3K was left out of the mayor’s preliminary budget, putting thousands of seats at risk, as covered by the Daily News.

Don’t know who your local elected official is? Find out here!

Check your voter registration