New York – April 27, 2023 – In response to Mayor Eric Adams’ Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget for New York City, United Neighborhood Houses Executive Director Susan Stamler commented:

“Mayor Adams ignored the human services sector and the New Yorkers who rely on them in his Executive Budget Proposal. Though he discussed the importance of fair wages for some workers in his budget address, he did not fund a cost of living adjustment for human services workers in his budget. Low wages in the human services sector already cause high staff turnover and vacancy rates, which makes accessing services more difficult for New Yorkers.

“Furthermore, Mayor Adams is using past underspending to justify future cuts to key programs like senior meals, youth services, and child care. The mayor proposed to cut $12 million from senior meals at a time when the number of older adults living in poverty is growing. He proposed cutting $38 million from youth programs when we know engaging youth is critical for their social-emotional well being. He wants to cancel 3-K programs when parents need that support to go back to work. Mayor Adams’ approach does not help people upstream, and these cuts will be more costly to our city in the long run. We need to make sure our city’s infrastructure is strong, and divesting from it now leaves us all worse off.”