For more than a hundred years, New York City’s community-based nonprofits have served as lifelines of hope, springing up in the most forgotten communities during difficult times, but today, across all five boroughs, these nonprofits They are the ones in danger. This is especially concerning in communities that are rapidly gentrifying and experiencing displacement, like ours.
The Los Sures, South Side Williamsburg, and Bushwick neighborhoods have a long history of community organizing when the City abandoned them through divestment, led by the nonprofits that today make up the care infrastructure that sustains our Connected and intact communities.
As community leaders who have seen the critical support nonprofits provide our neighborhoods, we cannot allow them to fail. The success of our neighborhoods and community organizations is intertwined; it’s time to secure the fair pay our nonprofit employees deserve.
In times of crisis, nonprofits are the first on the front lines. We depend on them to fill empty positions in our government services, and as the City has continued to underfund human service agencies, our reliance on nonprofit organizations has only grown.
Nonprofit workers are members of our community and are an integral part of the vitality of our city. It is unfair to deny them a contract that reflects their valuable work, provides a living wage, and allows nonprofit workers to support their families without the constant fear of displacement.
For those who have made the Southside their home, organizations like El Puente, Los Sures, Riseboro and St Nick’s Alliance are synonymous with community. While speculation, gentrification, luxury developments, and high-end retail brands threaten the fabric of communities like Williamsburg and Bushwick, it is even more important to double down on the infrastructure that has given these neighborhoods the life and culture they Millions of people come from all over the world.
Let’s address the irony at play here: While our city and state governments rely heavily on human service nonprofits, these workers are forced to live on poverty wages. The majority of this hired workforce are women and people of color, and nearly 60 percent rely on government assistance to make ends meet. As the forces of gentrification intensify and the cost of living continues to rise, our working class Black and Latino neighbors are increasingly being driven out of the communities they helped build. By keeping their wages stagnant and denying them a cost-of-living adjustment, the City risks pushing them further into the margins and completely losing a critical safety net.
Nonprofit contract employees like those at El Puente are active in every corner of our city, stepping up to provide essential services to New Yorkers where city agencies cannot reach. From providing crucial case management services to leading educational initiatives, your dedication fuels our city. They educate and empower thousands of youth in community centers, schools, and programs, inspiring and fueling dreams for a better future. They help engage our youth on pressing local issues, allowing them to engage in civic conversations that help improve all of our communities.
New Yorkers everywhere benefit from the work done by nonprofit organizations. Investing in this workforce is a direct investment in our city, which must be reflected in our city budget.
Just as our city’s labor unions reached an agreement with the mayor to raise wages for city employees, it’s time to extend this recognition to the 125,000 New Yorkers who are doing the same job for a fraction of the pay. Our nonprofit human services sector deserves a multi-year cost of living adjustment so they can have pay parity with their counterparts in government and the private sector.
These dedicated individuals, essential workers, who form the backbone of these organizations have earned just compensation. It’s not just about keeping them rooted in the neighborhoods they serve; it’s about ensuring the stability of our communities and creating a city where we can all thrive.
Jennifer Gutierrez is a Council member representing the Brooklyn and Queens communities.
El Puente is a community organization serving youth and families in Williamsburg and Bushwick, Brooklyn.