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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Carlos Cano, Chief Operating Officer of Center for Family Life in Sunset Park
2:15:38
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114 sec
Carlos Cano, COO of the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, testified about the severe financial strain caused by delayed payments and contract registrations from New York City agencies. He highlighted the critical need for timely payments, especially in light of potential federal funding cuts.
- The Center for Family Life serves over 18,000 children and adults annually across 14 community locations.
- New York City currently owes the organization over $5 million in outstanding payments and unregistered contracts.
- Cano emphasized that the payment delays are putting the organization's financial health at risk and impacting their ability to provide essential services to the community.
Carlos Cano
2:15:38
Good afternoon chair one.
2:15:39
My name is Carlos Cano.
2:15:40
I'm the COO of the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, OCFL.
2:15:45
We're a neighborhood based organization that has been the principal provider of integrated social and human services in the low income community of Sunset Park for over forty five years.
2:15:54
We partnered with residents to identify shared goals and implement programs that promote the healthy development of families and children and enrich the quality of life in the neighborhood.
2:16:02
This includes family counseling, cultural education and recreational programs at local public schools, adult and youth employment programs, and an emergency storefront for food and advocacy, among other services.
2:16:13
CFL engages more than 18,000 children and adults each year at 14 community locations including our main office, our family enrichment center, and our 12 partner public schools.
2:16:25
In order to offer these key services, we partnered with several city agencies.
2:16:29
And while we are grateful to be a trusted partner and manage several contracts, the burden from the slow registration and non payment is crippling.
2:16:37
We live with daily anxiety not knowing where we're gonna get paid for services rendered.
2:16:41
In some cases over a year ago, it is more critical than ever for us to be able to count on the city of New York to pay us because we are facing the spectrum of multiple cuts in federal funding.
2:16:50
New York City currently owes over $5,000,000 Over half a million is for outstanding fiscal year twenty four invoices with DYCD.
2:16:57
Two point five million is owed for fiscal year twenty five invoices with DYCD, ACS, and CDWP.
2:17:03
And nearly 2,000,000 in fiscal year twenty five contract is still pending registration with DOE, SBS, and once again, DYCD.
2:17:12
CFO is a member of UNH and Kafka, which together represent a large number of providers across NYC.
2:17:18
We stand with both advocacy organizations whose broad membership is being significantly adversely impacted by the registration and payment delays.
2:17:25
Thank you for creating a space to share these very serious challenges that put our financial health at risk and for holding agencies accountable.