Dear Friend,

After months of legislative meetings, rallies with our members, testifying at budget hearings, and writing advocacy materials speaking out against Mayor Adams’ proposed cuts, we are relieved that funding for most settlement house program priorities has been restored in the City budget that started July 1.

Our budget advocacy has led to a more equitable spending plan. We made important strides with targeted early childhood education funding, including an expansion of the Promise NYC program, investments to match hours of care to working parents’ needs, and outreach to ensure parents are aware seats are available. The City also acknowledged our concerns about the breakdowns in our early childhood education system and committed to establishing a working group to enact reforms to strengthen that system. In addition, there were investments in Adult Literacy Education programs and reversals to proposed cuts in aging and Summer Rising program hours for middle schoolers. Finally, the budget included a Cost of Living Adjustment for the human services workforce–the first in many years.

UNH remains committed to creating a more affordable City where settlement houses keep communities vibrant, social services are accessible and plentiful, and where all New Yorkers have a chance to thrive.

Thank you for all your support,
Susan Stamler

UNH works with the media to raise the profile on our policy priorities and ensure that settlement house voices are heard. Here are some highlights:

Chalkbeat covered the 60 day shelter limit’s effect on migrant families and NYC preschools in tandem with UNH’s newest Voices from the Field released last month.

Staff from UNH, as well as our members University Settlement and WHEDco, were quoted in a story by Karen Yi in Gothamist/WNYC asking why center-based childcare workers at settlement houses and other nonprofits make much less than those at NYC public schools.

UNH’s Director of Policy & Advocacy was quoted in Chalkbeat's coverage of Mayor Adams’ restoration of $20 million in funding for summer camp for middle schoolers.

CityLimits covered the fight to roll back adult literacy cuts in the FY2025 budget due to the rising demand seen by providers, including quotes from UNH’s Director of Communications alongside settlement house staff and students.

UNH’s Director of Policy & Advocacy discussed our reaction to the mayor’s budget, and the need for salary parity between the early childhood workforce in nonprofit programs and those in public schools. As Nora Moran said, “The early childhood education system in New York City is complicated — the needs of children and families are not.”

By partnering with the Fordham Graduate School of Social Services, UNH provides settlement house social workers with continuing education credits for attending workshops and seminars. This past academic year, we provided nine classes on topics including enhancing motivational interviewing skills, intergenerational programing initiatives, addressing microaggressions, and how social workers can incorporate a self care plan with their participants. In total, settlement house workers earned 446 continuing education credits.

Last month, settlement house staff - joined by executive directors, supervisors, and UNH staff - gathered to celebrate deepening their professional network and skills as they graduated from UNH’s Leading for Impact course. Leading for Impact is a professional development series that UNH designed and hosts each year. Full-time settlement house staff who are nominated by their executive team and whose role advances their settlement house’s mission are invited to apply.

Over eleven weeks, this amazing cohort of emerging leaders came together for weekly sessions to learn from settlement house executive staff about topics ranging from budgeting and financial management, how to build and empower teams, effective storytelling and public speaking, fundraising, creating change and more. At the graduation and in the formal evaluation, participants shared significant positive feedback. As one settlement house participant said, “The overall course was very effective in forging new paths of motivative growth and personal development... we never stop learning, and this provided a view into the power behind the building of strong, effective relationships.”