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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, on Nonprofit Payment Issues and Food Assistance Programs
5:27:05
ยท
112 sec
Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, testifies about three main points: the severe delays in payments to nonprofits, the importance of federal safety net programs in fighting hunger, and the need for timely benefit processing and outreach funding for food assistance programs.
- Criticizes the normalization of late payments to nonprofits, suggesting that government employee pay should be contingent on paying nonprofits on time
- Emphasizes that federal safety net programs provide 17 times more food assistance than charities
- Calls for 100% on-time delivery of benefits within the federally mandated 30-day processing requirement
- Requests continued funding for the New York City benefits initiative and SNAP/WIC outreach, noting that every city dollar spent helps fill $60 worth of groceries
Joel Berg
5:27:05
Thank you, madam chair.
5:27:06
It's late in the day, so I'll be brief about three points.
5:27:09
One, first of thanks for your incredible leadership continuing on these issues.
5:27:12
But I hope we don't normalize just how crazy the testimony has been over and over and over again about payments that have been late years.
5:27:24
Millions of dollars hold to struggling nonprofits.
5:27:27
The federal government, as evil as it's been lately, when you're in their system, they pay the next day.
5:27:32
You electronically bill.
5:27:33
Let's not normalize this.
5:27:34
Bunch of mayors have, promised to fix this.
5:27:37
A bunch of controllers have threatened to you promised to fix this.
5:27:41
Can we just make people's pay as, government employees contingent upon them paying nonprofits?
5:27:46
They wouldn't go two or three years without being paid.
5:27:49
We shouldn't.
5:27:49
So let's not normalize this too.
5:27:51
I hope everyone understands that, the safety net is still by far the most important thing in terms of fighting hunger.
5:27:58
The Food Bank and City Harvest and Pantries and Kitchens do incredible work filling in the gaps.
5:28:04
But I hope we understand that the federal safety net programs equals 17 times the dollar amounts of food distributed by every charity in New York in America.
5:28:13
So number one, it's good that HRAs had some progress on on time delivery of benefits but it should be a 100%.
5:28:20
The thirty day requirement for processing benefits goes back to 1977 before email, before web.
5:28:27
It is just insane that we continue not to give people benefits within the thirty days required by federal law.
5:28:33
Lastly, hope the council continues to fund the New York City benefits initiative and the request from, Hunger Free America and others to fund SNAP and WIC and summer EBT outreach.
5:28:45
Every dollar we spend of city funds help fill $60 worth of groceries into grocery carts, so it continues to be the single most cost effective way the council can help us fight hunger.
5:28:57
Thank you.