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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by William Jourdain, Executive Director of Woodside on the Move
3:45:56
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131 sec
William Jourdain, Executive Director of Woodside on the Move, testifies about the challenges faced by his nonprofit due to late payments from the city. He emphasizes the destabilizing effect of delayed payments and bureaucratic processes on their ability to provide critical community services.
- Woodside on the Move is owed roughly $1 million from HPD and faces delays in processing FY23 deliverables.
- The organization has had to apply for RGF loans to stay afloat and struggles with late discretionary contracts.
- Jourdain urges the council to pass Intros 1247, 1248, and 1249 to address payment delays and increase transparency.
William Jourdain
3:45:56
Good afternoon.
3:45:57
Co chairs Juan and Steve has, I guess, walked off for a little bit.
3:46:01
To our city officials who stuck around, my name is William Jordin, and I have the honor and blessing to serve as executive director of Woodside on the Move, a grassroots nonprofit serving Western Queens for nearly fifty years.
3:46:16
We provide critical services in youth development, housing advocacy, economic empowerment, and cultural programming.
3:46:23
We're also a proud member of the stabilizing NYC coalition working to protect affordable housing and empower tenants across the city.
3:46:31
We meet and often exceed our contractual obligations.
3:46:35
We deliver, but the city doesn't.
3:46:38
For example, we're still owed roughly $1,000,000 from HPD and that's just one city agency, and we're unable to fully process f y 23 deliverables due to delays in documentation from HPD, which highlights the complete bureaucratic maze.
3:46:58
This isn't just frustrating, it's destabilizing.
3:47:01
We've applied for RGF loans just to stay afloat, but that process is another bureaucratic maze.
3:47:08
First the agency, then mocks, it costing us time and capacity we can't afford to lose.
3:47:14
Discretionary contracts are even worse.
3:47:17
They're rarely processed within the fiscal year and there are no advances.
3:47:22
We're forced to start services without funding, effectively floating the city's obligations with nonprofit dollars.
3:47:29
Let's be honest, if we were a year late submitting deliverables our contracts would be cancelled.
3:47:36
But when the city is a year late on payments nothing happens.
3:47:39
No accountability, no urgency.
3:47:42
This is not a bookkeeping problem, it's a public accountability failure.
3:47:46
Late payments jeopardize programs, delay hiring, and weaken the very infrastructure of our communities.
3:47:52
We urge the council to pass intro twelve forty seven, 12 40 eight, and twelve forty nine.
3:47:59
These bills set real deadlines for registration and payments, increase transparency, and begin restoring trust between the city and its nonprofit partners.
3:48:07
Thank you.