Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Keriann Pauls, Interim Executive Director of Take Root Justice
4:53:17
ยท
173 sec
Keriann Pauls, Interim Executive Director of Take Root Justice, testified on the challenges faced by nonprofit organizations in New York City, particularly regarding contracting delays and the need for enhanced funding for legal services for immigrant New Yorkers. She also raised concerns about the proposed Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Baseline Immigrant Opportunities Initiative.
- Emphasized the need for increased funding for legal services initiatives to meet rising costs and increased demand
- Highlighted issues with the draft RFP for the Baseline Immigrant Opportunities Initiative, including insufficient funding and elimination of crucial program components
- Called for council oversight and partnership to push the administration to reform the IOI RFP structure
Keriann Pauls
4:53:17
Hi, good afternoon.
4:53:19
My name is Carrie Ann Pauls and I'm the interim executive director at Take Root Justice.
4:53:24
I just like to say thank you so much deputy speaker Ayala.
4:53:27
It's incredible to be here and to really feel heard and witness how you are listening to all of the folks from the nonprofit sector here testifying before you.
4:53:38
It's really a pleasure.
4:53:39
I appreciate it.
4:53:41
Take Root provides legal participatory research and policy support to strengthen the work of grassroots and community based groups to dismantle racial, economic and social oppression.
4:53:52
We're proud members of the LEAP coalition, the Legal Services for the Working Poor coalition, the SILAC IOI coalition and many others across the city and we are experiencing the same contracting delays as others and I really want to amplify all that's been said here today around those.
4:54:09
I'm also here to raise before the council issues that we'd like to bring up to meet this moment and build on our partnerships to serve members especially immigrant New Yorkers across the city.
4:54:23
First, the council initiatives administered by DSS HRA such as legal services for the working poor like my colleague spoke of, and low wage worker support, need to be enhanced both to meet the increased need for services and to address the ever rising cost of living and cost of operations for nonprofits.
4:54:42
Both initiatives fund essential legal services work for immigrant New Yorkers and communities most at risk during these times of increased oppression coming from the federal administration.
4:54:53
I'm also here to ask for continued oversight and partnership to push the administration as it proceeds with the request for proposals for the Baseline Immigrant Opportunities Initiative, also administered through DSS HRA.
4:55:06
In its current draft, the RFP fails to recognize the real needs of immigrant communities.
4:55:12
And I'll be attaching our formal request for proposal protest letter with my written testimony that details a full list of the issues.
4:55:19
But today I'd like to highlight a few of our major concerns.
4:55:22
First, the total proposed baseline IOI funding and resulting case rate are woefully insufficient to meet the need of services.
4:55:29
It's been flattened.
4:55:30
It hasn't increased.
4:55:32
And in fact, the way the RFP is structured decreases the case rate for providers.
4:55:37
Additionally, the IOI RFP scope of services has been cut eliminating crucial components of the program such as trainings and outreach, brief services, and the flexibility for providers to provide holistic services.
4:55:50
All of these terms have been incredibly important in the past and are increasingly important today.
4:55:55
And the administration needs to completely reform the way it's structured the IOI RFP.
4:56:02
And so anyway thank you so much again for your oversight.
4:56:06
Thank you much for hearing us and your attention to these pressing matters.