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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Winn Periyasami, Director of External Affairs at Goddard Riverside, on Community-Based Clubhouse Funding
4:10:08
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125 sec
Winn Periyasami from Goddard Riverside testifies to request $3,250,000 in baseline funding for smaller community-based clubhouses starting in FY 2026. He emphasizes the importance of these clubhouses as essential mental health infrastructure and the need for consistent funding to ensure their sustainability.
- Periyasami highlights the welcoming atmosphere and sense of community in clubhouses, describing them as co-created homes for members.
- He explains that while current funding covers nine months of services, private fundraising is still necessary to fully support clubhouse members.
- The requested baseline funding would allow clubhouse members to focus on workforce development and community-based services rather than continually advocating for funding.
Winn Periyasami
4:10:08
Hello, my name is Wynn Perisami, and I'm director of external affairs at Godda Riverside, a settlement house supporting 20,000 New Yorkers each year across the life course.
4:10:16
Thank you to the chairs, the rest of the council members who have been a part of today's hearings, and the and the staff that have helped make all of these hearings that work so well.
4:10:27
I'm here today testifying alongside incredible community based clubhouse coalition members, leaders to ask the council and the administration to baseline and invest 3,250,000.00 into the city's smaller community based clubhouses starting in FY twenty six.
4:10:41
We really appreciate the council's dedication to creating the mental health clubhouse initiative, which saved these essential programs from the brink of closure.
4:10:50
You know the spike that we've been through.
4:10:52
We've heard you all talk about it at the hearing earlier today.
4:10:56
As a new Goddard team member, I walked into our top clubhouse yesterday for the first time and was immediately welcomed by Charles and fellow clubhousers.
4:11:04
The ways that they talk about their about their home, their co created home, you feel that immediately, but regardless of whether or not you're a member leader, staff, or a community member.
4:11:15
These services are core infrastructure as part of the behavioral health policy and budget initiatives that the city continues to talk about.
4:11:26
The funding that we are asking for, that helps ensure that the supports that we need, for instance, at Goddard, the contracting that you the contract services that the council supported us in, that helped us get nine months of services through FY '20 '6, but we still rely on on private fundraising in order to ensure that our clubhouse members are able to truly thrive.
4:11:52
So that 3,250,000.00 increase, that's the end baseline, that allows us to really make sure that clubhouse members don't have to keep on coming here.
4:12:02
That they can spend that time co creating that vital workforce development and community based services that they rely on.
4:12:10
So thank you so much for your consideration and for your work today.
4:12:13
We really appreciate it.