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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Greg Rideout, Co-CEO for Organizational Advancement at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
3:15:58
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129 sec
Greg Rideout, Co-CEO for Organizational Advancement at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), testifies about the critical impact of late payments from New York City on nonprofit organizations providing essential services. He emphasizes the importance of timely payments for maintaining staff stability and delivering services to young adults and adults in workforce development programs.
- OBT serves over 1,500 young adults and adults annually with free educational and vocational programs.
- Late payments threaten employee stability and essential services, as 75% of OBT's budget supports weekly payroll and participant stipends.
- OBT connects more than 300 young people to training and employment in healthcare, technology, and construction/renewable energy sectors through city contracts.
Greg Rideout
3:15:58
I put good morning in my comments, but I'll start with good afternoon.
3:16:02
My name is Greg Rado, and I serve as co CEO for Organizational Advancement at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow.
3:16:10
We are proud members of both the Human Services Council and the New York City Employment and Training Coalition.
3:16:16
Every year, OBT serves more than 1,500 young adults and adults, providing them with free educational and vocational programs to help them enter or advance in the New York City workforce.
3:16:27
I first want to thank all of you for holding today's hearing and for the legislation already drafted to address what can only be described as a long standing, deeply harmful crisis in nonprofit contracting and payment.
3:16:40
For organizations like OBT, where over 75% of our budget supports weekly payroll and participant stipends, timely payments from the City Of New York are not just an operational issue, they are a lifeline.
3:16:51
OBT staff, many of whom come from the same communities we serve, are a workforce in and of themselves.
3:16:57
When city payments are delayed, it threatens our employees' stability and the essential services they deliver.
3:17:03
Participants stipends allow us to keep our young people engaged, learning, and working towards a better future.
3:17:10
Each year, OBT connects more than 300 young people to training and employment in health care technology and constructionrenewable energy, mostly through city contracts with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
3:17:22
So delays do not just slow payments, they slow real economic opportunity for particularly young New Yorkers.
3:17:30
I go into much more detail in the testimony that I submitted, but let me close by saying nonprofits employ nearly 20% of the city's workforce.
3:17:44
We are the city's safety net during crises, during recovery, and every day in between.
3:17:50
We are asked to stretch and sacrifice in ways that for profit partners never would.
3:17:57
We are not asking for favors.
3:17:59
We are simply asking for fairness.
3:18:01
If this city truly values equity, community, and opportunity, then it must show it through action.