Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Council Member Stevens shares perspective on ongoing payment issues
1:28:04
·
118 sec
Council Member Althea Stevens responds to Michael Sedillo's statement, expressing her frustration with the ongoing payment issues and the impact on nonprofit providers in her district.
- Stevens acknowledges the personal commitment of officials but emphasizes that results are lacking
- She criticizes the language of 'advances,' noting that providers are owed money for work already completed
- Stevens highlights the financial strain on providers, including risks of losing staff and programming
- She expresses frustration at having to personally intervene to resolve payment issues for providers in her district
- Stevens emphasizes her background in the nonprofit sector and her understanding of the challenges faced by providers
Althea Stevens
1:28:04
say I just wanna say I don't think that it's not personal for anyone here, but it doesn't matter because it's not happening.
1:28:09
So one, even today you said that you would give us a briefing.
1:28:12
I I said at the start of this, I'm just as much of an expert as all of you guys, So maybe having us be a part of the conversation and the providers being conversation so that we can actually get it done because clearly you don't have the answers and this is as the administration as a whole.
1:28:25
And so yes, you guys are trying to everyone is working hard and I'm not saying that I know people are taking as a priority, but it's still not being done.
1:28:32
So clearly we need to do something different.
1:28:35
So that is my response to that like this is not saying, no one's doing it.
1:28:39
Yeah great, but we have providers who are struggling.
1:28:43
Literally most of the agencies have multiple contracts with multiple agencies and old money and that is part of the problem.
1:28:50
We've already had agencies who are on the break of losing their their their staff on the brink of losing programming because we have not paid them and this is unacceptable.
1:28:59
I don't even like the language around that these are advances.
1:29:02
These are not advances.
1:29:03
You guys is it's stuff stuff is being stuck in the process and they're not getting paid money that they have already done the work for because this is all done on reimbursement.
1:29:13
And so like even the language pisses me off that we're saying like, oh we just made an announcement that we're gonna give out advances for money that they are owed, that they already done the work for.
1:29:22
So it's just very frustrating and so you know I know you take this personal, I take it personal.
1:29:28
I come from nonprofit, I did this work for twenty years, so I also take it personal that I have to have providers call me directly for me to then call the administration to say we need the money because that's unacceptable.
1:29:40
I have other things that I should be focused on and not calling you to say, hey this person's contract isn't registered, where's the loophole at?
1:29:46
And here's the thing, when I do that I get a response, but I should not have to do that.
1:29:52
So understand my frustration.
1:29:53
I have a very needy district, so I should not have to call you about getting services that they need to do in my community because you guys aren't paying them.
1:30:00
So that's my frustration.